More people are surviving cancer

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->Improvements in diagnosis and treatment mean more people are recovering from cancer, scientists say.



There are more cases of the disease now compared to 30 years ago - in part because of an ageing population.

But Cancer Research UK says that, when that is taken into account, death rates have fallen by 12% since 1970.

Launching a fundraising campaign, the charity said more research was needed if death rates were to be cut even further.

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> The numbers of cancer survivors have greatly increased in the last generation



Professor Robert Souhami, Cancer Research UK



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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->Although more people than ever before are being diagnosed with cancer death rates have fallen by 18% for men and 6% for women over the past 34 years.

In some cases - such as cervical cancer, which women are regularly screened for - death rates have fallen simply because the number of cases of the disease has decreased.

In others, such as Hodgkin's disease, breast and testicular cancers, the number of people affected by the disease has either remained the same or even increased, but death rates have fallen because of improvements in diagnosis and treatments.

More work needed

The rate of lung cancers in men has fallen by 47% over the last 30 years, but it has soared by 55% in women.

Experts say this is because more men are quitting smoking, a trend which is not being seen in women.

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->Death rates have also increased in oesophageal and prostate cancers since 1970.

Experts say there are still 400 people dying every day from all types of cancer in the UK, so research into ways to prevent and treat the disease needs to continue.

Cancer Research UK presented the statistics at the launch of its 'All Clear' advertising campaign.

It says more people are being told they have no detectable signs of the disease, or being told they are completely cleared years after diagnosis.

'Understanding'

Professor Peter Selby, director of the Cancer Research UK Unit at St James's Hospital in Leeds, said research advances benefited all cancer patients, even those who could not be cured.

"For those people for whom we can't provide a cure, we can improve their quality of life."

He added: "We understand so much more about the disease now than we did a generation ago.

"But unravelling the disease opens up more and more avenues for the development of new methods of preventing, treating and curing cancer."

Professor Robert Souhami, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical and external affairs, said: "Most people rightly no longer view cancer as a death sentence.

"The numbers of cancer survivors have greatly increased in the last generation. "Nevertheless we must accelerate the level of research so that we can continue in collaboration with others to make significant advances against the disease."




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3455399.stm



Lets hope things continue to get better but at a faster pace.

[QfanatiQ]

Yep saw this on the news this morning, thats some good news. although better education about lifestyle could be worked on a litle more also.

But happy happy jopy joy.

Cheers.....Q

[Porthos]

happy happy jopy joy indeed