Lung cancer survival among lowest in Europe

Published on Sunday 7 June 2009 22:07

SURVIVAL rates for lung cancer patients in Scotland were today branded "completely unacceptable" by health campaigners.

The country has one of the lowest survival rates in Europe for the disease, with only 8.2 per cent of patients alive after five years.

That compares to a survival rate of 16.8 per cent in Iceland.

Campaigners at the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation launched their latest "report card" on services for sufferers and said this showed the disease was "low on the government's agenda".

Lung cancer is Scotland's largest cancer killer and across the UK more than 38,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed every year.

The report card assessed performance across key areas of lung cancer management and patient care, with grades awarded for categories such as equity of care, funding for research and the availability of specialist nurses.

Although the charity said progress had been made in ensuring all lung cancer cases were discussed by a multi-disciplinary team – the only A-grade on the Scottish report card – it added that five-year survival rates for the disease were "completely unacceptable".

It claimed that there was still a postcode lottery in the standard of care for lung cancer patients, with services varying both geographically and socially. Patients from some areas and from poorer backgrounds received a lesser level of care.

Angus Grant, a lung cancer patient from Edinburgh, said he had had a "good experience" with his treatment as he was supported by a specialist nurse and had a "great team" looking after him.

He added: "It made such a difference to my life and I think it's completely unacceptable that there are patients like me who aren't getting access to these vital services."

The report showed that, in six out of eight categories, lung cancer services had merely remained the same since the charity's original investigation in 2007.

Rosemary Gillespie, the foundation's chief executive, said: "The report card has shown that lung cancer services in Scotland still remain low on the government's agenda and it is vital that the government now prioritises improving all aspects of lung cancer services and makes a stronger commitment to patients."

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Cancer is a top clinical priority for both NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government.

"We have made encouraging progress in combating the disease and are on track to meet our long-standing target of a 20 per cent reduction in mortality rates from cancer in the under-75s by 2010."

GIRLS OFF MARK

MORE than one in three girls does not know the causes of cervical cancer, a new poll out today suggests.

A total of 38 per cent of girls said they were unaware of the causes.

The poll of girls aged 12 to 18 was carried out for GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the Cervarix vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus, which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

Of 255 girls questioned, 5 per cent thought "sexual promiscuity" caused cervical cancer.