Although there is a general increasing trend in global cancer survival, wide and persistent disparities still exist between countries, according to a study released Wednesday by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Researchers analyzed individual patient records from 322 cancer registries in 71 countries and territories to compare five-year survival from diagnosis for more than 37.5 million adults and children with one of 18 common cancers. These cancers represent three-quarters of all cancers diagnosed worldwide every year between 2000 and 2014.
In Britain, overall cancer survival is improving, with several cancers showing substantial increases in five-year survival, including breast, prostate, rectum and colon, the figures showed.
However, adults with cancer here continue to have lower five-year survival than in other comparable countries for several common cancers, including myeloid malignancies and adult brain cancer.
Meanwhile, five-year survival is twice as high in Denmark and Sweden as in Mexico and Brazil for children diagnosed as recently as 2014.
This is likely to reflect the availability and quality of diagnostic and treatment services, according to the team.
Continuous monitoring of global trends in cancer survival is "crucial to assess the overall effectiveness of health systems world-wide, and to help policy-makers plan better strategies for cancer control," said Claudia Allemani, lead author of the study.
The study has been published in the journal The Lancet.
