Latest news with #NationalCancerPlan
MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- Health
- MTV Lebanon
Aoun discusses National Drug Agency decree, cancer plan with Health Minister
President of the Republic Joseph Aoun met with Minister of Public Health Rakan Nasreddine, with whom he discussed the draft implementation decree for the National Drug Agency, which is being prepared for submission to the Cabinet. The minister also briefed President Aoun on the details of the National Cancer Plan. Nasreddine noted that 'cancer drug coverage has increased by 43% over the past two months.' He also informed the President about his visit to the World Health Organization and Lebanon's restoration of its voting rights.
Medscape
4 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
UK Cancer Deaths Drop 22% in 50 Years Despite Rising Cases
Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by 22% over the past 50 years. However, diagnoses have risen by almost half, according to a new analysis by Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The Cancer in the UK Report 2025 provides the first 50 years of UK-wide data on cancer mortality and cases. Death rates fell from around 328 per 100,000 people in 1973 to around 252 per 100,000 in 2023. CRUK described the findings as 'profound'. The charity said improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and smoking reduction had helped drive the decline. People today are twice as likely to survive their disease for at least 10 years compared to 50 years ago. Survival rates improved from one in four people in the early 1970s to one in two today. Rising Incidence Despite Progress Cancer incidence rates increased sharply by 47% during the same period. Cases rose from around 413 to 607 per 100,000 people. However, the charity noted that because of the UK's growing and ageing population, actual numbers continue to rise. Nearly 1100 new cases are diagnosed daily, with more than 460 deaths each day. This occurs despite significant progress in prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. CRUK called on the government to ensure that its upcoming National Cancer Plan for England is 'ambitious and fully funded'. Early Diagnosis Rates Stagnant Research into improving screening programmes, tests, and drugs helped reduce death rates. Policy action on smoking reduced rates for cancers with poor survival outcomes. Lung cancer mortality rates decreased from 80.9 per 100,000 people in 1971-1973 to 49.8 in 2021-2023. Bowel cancer rates fell from 48.0 to 26.3, whilst breast cancer dropped from 30.7 to 16.9. However, pancreatic cancer rates remained stable at around 15 per 100,000 people. Some cancers showed increases, including prostate cancer from 13.3 to 18.3 and oesophageal cancer from 9.2 to 12.0. Just over half of cancers (54%) were diagnosed at an early stage in England, the report found. This proportion has not changed for almost a decade. Around half of all new cancer diagnoses occur in people aged 70 and over. However, incidence rates are rising fastest in younger people, with a 23% increase in people aged 20 to 49 since the early 1990s. Screening Programmes Save Lives Three cancer screening programmes save around 5000 lives every year across the UK, according to CRUK. Smoking remains the biggest cause of cancer in the UK. It accounts for around a fifth of all cancer deaths each year. Around one in 20 UK cancer deaths are now linked to being overweight or obese. Michelle Mitchell, CRUK's chief executive, welcomed the reduced death rates and doubled survival rates. However, she stressed that too many cases are diagnosed at a late stage. "If we want to change that, we need bold action from the UK government," Mitchell said. Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, highlighted recent innovations. These include lung cancer screening in car parks and AI technology to spot skin cancer. Mitchell urged that the upcoming National Cancer Plan for England must improve survival and transform services. She said the plan "could save countless lives across England and ensure people affected by cancer live longer, better lives". CRUK has also published devolved nation summaries of its findings for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
More Brits developing cancer than ever before but survival rates have doubled since 70s
MORE Brits are developing cancer than ever before but we are twice as likely to survive the disease than patients in the 1970s, a report shows. Cancer Research UK studied 50 years of data and found tumour rates increased by nearly half – 48 per cent – between 1973 and 2023. 1 There are now 607 cases per 100,000 people per year, compared to 413 per 100,000 then. Cancer has become more common as people live longer and the risk rises with age, but cases are now increasing fastest in younger people. Scientists are investigating whether unhealthy lifestyles now are driving up the disease further. Meanwhile, treatment advances mean cancer is less deadly than ever, with the death rate tumbling from 328 per 100,000 to 252. The proportion of people who survive 10 years or more after diagnosis has doubled from 24 to 50 per cent. Michelle Mitchell, chief of Cancer Research UK, said: 'It's fantastic to see that thanks to research, cancer death rates have drastically reduced over the last 50 years, and survival has doubled. 'However, there is more that can be done. 'This report highlights that over 460 people die from cancer every day in the UK, and too many cases are diagnosed at a late stage. 'If we want to change that, we need bold action from the UK government and the upcoming National Cancer Plan for England must improve cancer survival and transform cancer services.' The Cancer in the UK report warned that there has been almost no improvement to early diagnosis in the past 10 years. If I had access to more information on breast health when I was younger, I may have caught my symptoms earlier Nearly half of cases are still diagnosed in the later stages three and four, when a cure is much less likely. CRUK said: 'The Government must make a concerted effort to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer at a later stage, with a focus on cancers that would lead to the greatest benefit in survival such as lung and bowel.' What does it mean to be 'in remission' after cancer? Hearing 'remission' after receiving cancer treatment is good news. Being 'in remission' after cancer means that there are no signs or symptoms of cancer detectable in the body with the use of scans or blood tests. The person show no signs directly related to the cancer either. It can be partial or complete - even with the latter, it does not mean the cancer is cured. 'Cured' is not a term doctors would like to use, because they cannot guarantee there are zero cancer cells in the body. Regular follow-up appointments and monitoring are essential to watch out for a possible return of the cancer. People might need to take medication to keep their cancer at bay, for example hormone treatments. Remission indicates that the cancer has responded to treatment and is currently under control. Partial remission: Some, but not all, signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. Complete remission: All signs and symptoms of cancer are gone, although this does not necessarily mean that the cancer has been cured.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Too many ‘martyrs' ignore cancer symptoms for fear of burdening NHS, report finds
Too many cancer patients risk having their symptoms missed because they are 'martyrs' who do not want to overburden the NHS, a report warns. The report by the consultancy Incisive Health calls for the health service to become an 'early intervention service' where cases of the disease are caught in early stages. The author of the report said more people must overcome their reluctance to seek help if more cancers are to be diagnosed at stages one and two before they have spread. 'No one wants people with symptoms of cancer to become martyrs due to holding off seeking medical attention because they didn't want to bother their GP or overload the NHS', said Mike Birtwistle, who wrote the report. 'Too many people avoid seeking help because they know how stretched the NHS is. This kind of martyrdom to protect the NHS results in too many people being diagnosed at a late stage, damaging their survival chances.' The NHS should be 'mobilising people with signs and symptoms' of cancer, the report adds. The report continues: 'There should also be a continued role for raising public awareness of signs and symptoms and – most importantly – motivating them to act. 'Experts highlighted that people are often conditioned not to 'bother' the NHS.' The report also says that GPs could be discouraging patients from having a check-up so they do not contribute to the burden of hospitals that are under pressure. It explains: 'Primary healthcare professionals have a role in previously guarding NHS resources, which can act as a deterrent for seeking help.' Latest figures reveal GPs in England made 235,157 urgent cancer referrals in December, down from 259,563 in November, but up from 220,350 in December 2023. The report also reveals the NHS has consistently failed to meet a target to diagnose 75 per cent of cancers at stages one and two between 2018 and 2024, with only 60 per cent spotted by that point. It comes as the Labour Government is developing a National Cancer Plan, which is expected to be published next spring. Earlier in February, the Government launched a call for evidence to help shape a plan to transform how the disease is treated and create a roadmap to reduce deaths. Mr Birtwistle said Labour ministers should use their forthcoming 10-year health plan and the cancer plan to embed a more proactive approach to cancer detection in the NHS. Naser Turabi, Cancer Research UK's director of evidence and interpretation, told The Guardian: 'People shouldn't be discouraged from going to their doctor if something doesn't feel right for them. They aren't 'bothering' their GP or 'burdening' the NHS.' Mr Turabi urged the NHS to focus on improving attendance rates for its three main cancer screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer. Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King's Fund think tank, said: 'There's strong evidence that finding cancer early leads to better treatment and survival, so we should redouble efforts to make community access to prevention and early detection services as easy and convenient as possible.' In response, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said the NHS was diagnosing and treating more early-stage cancers than ever. He said: 'There are many reasons why people are reluctant to come forward and get checked, from not recognising the key signs and symptoms of cancer to not wanting to burden the NHS unnecessarily.' Prof Powis added that approaches such as offering lung checks to smokers and ex-smokers in high-tech mobile scanning trucks in supermarket car parks are improving early diagnoses. Figures reveal the number of people in Britain being diagnosed with cancer every year has risen to about 412,400, or one every 90 seconds. Factors behind this increase are include an ageing population and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption. They also show that around 167,000 people die from the disease every year, amount to 460 a day. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Too many ‘martyrs' ignore cancer symptoms for fear of burdening NHS, report finds
Too many cancer patients risk having their symptoms missed because they are 'martyrs' who do not want to overburden the NHS, a report warns. The report by the consultancy Incisive Health calls for the health service to become an 'early intervention service' where cases of the disease are caught in early stages. The author of the report said more people must overcome their reluctance to seek help if more cancers are to be diagnosed at stages one and two before they have spread. 'No one wants people with symptoms of cancer to become martyrs due to holding off seeking medical attention because they didn't want to bother their GP or overload the NHS', said Mike Birtwistle, who wrote the report. 'Too many people avoid seeking help because they know how stretched the NHS is. This kind of martyrdom to protect the NHS results in too many people being diagnosed at a late stage, damaging their survival chances.' The NHS should be ' mobilising people with signs and symptoms ' of cancer, the report adds. The report continues: 'There should also be a continued role for raising public awareness of signs and symptoms and – most importantly – motivating them to act. 'Experts highlighted that people are often conditioned not to 'bother' the NHS.' The report also says that GPs could be discouraging patients from having a check-up so they do not contribute to the burden of hospitals that are under pressure. It explains: 'Primary healthcare professionals have a role in previously guarding NHS resources, which can act as a deterrent for seeking help.' Latest figures reveal GPs in England made 235,157 urgent cancer referrals in December, down from 259,563 in November, but up from 220,350 in December 2023. NHS targets not met The report also reveals the NHS has consistently failed to meet a target to diagnose 75 per cent of cancers at stages one and two between 2018 and 2024, with only 60 per cent spotted by that point. It comes as the Labour Government is developing a National Cancer Plan, which is expected to be published next spring. Earlier in February, the Government launched a call for evidence to help shape a plan to transform how the disease is treated and create a roadmap to reduce deaths. Mr Birtwistle said Labour ministers should use their forthcoming 10-year health plan and the cancer plan to embed a more proactive approach to cancer detection in the NHS. Naser Turabi, Cancer Research UK's director of evidence and interpretation, told The Guardian: 'People shouldn't be discouraged from going to their doctor if something doesn't feel right for them. They aren't 'bothering' their GP or 'burdening' the NHS.' Mr Turabi urged the NHS to focus on improving attendance rates for its three main cancer screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer. Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King's Fund think tank, said: 'There's strong evidence that finding cancer early leads to better treatment and survival, so we should redouble efforts to make community access to prevention and early detection services as easy and convenient as possible.' In response, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said the NHS was diagnosing and treating more early-stage cancers than ever. He said: 'There are many reasons why people are reluctant to come forward and get checked, from not recognising the key signs and symptoms of cancer to not wanting to burden the NHS unnecessarily.' Prof Powis added that approaches such as offering lung checks to smokers and ex-smokers in high-tech mobile scanning trucks in supermarket car parks are improving early diagnoses. Figures reveal the number of people in Britain being diagnosed with cancer every year has risen to about 412,400, or one every 90 seconds. Factors behind this increase are include an ageing population and lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption. They also show that around 167,000 people die from the disease every year, amount to 460 a day.
