SHOCKING figures lay bare how almost 60 per cent of people diagnosed with the six least survivable cancers die from their disease within a year.
Over 90,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with one of these deadly cancers every year.
But cancer registry data from England shows that just 42 per cent of patients will live more than a year after diagnosis.
By contrast, the overall one-year survival rate for all cancers is 70 per cent.
The deadly forms of cancer include:
According to the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT), these six cancers claim people’s lives so quickly as they are often diagnosed at later stages compared to other cancers.
Only 28 per cent of patients are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2 – compared to 54 per cent for all cancers – which limits the potential for treatments to boost survival rates.
Charities backing the taskforce – including the British Liver Trust, Pancreatic Cancer UK, The Brain Tumour Charity and Guts UK – also highlighted that these six disease received a fraction of the funding other cancers do.
Anna Jewell, LSCT chair, said: “The reality that more than half of people diagnosed with a less survivable cancer will not survive beyond a year is simply unacceptable.
“It is essential that all UK governments take immediate steps to develop and implement national action plans dedicated to less survivable cancers to improve the outcomes for patients with these devastating diseases.
“We can change the narrative and improve one year survival by setting specific targets, prioritising early diagnosis and improving treatment pathways to give every patient a fighting chance.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Childhood cancer explained” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367034242112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Paulette Hamilton MP, who’s spearheading a new All Party Parliamentary Group on the Less Survivable Cancers, added: “The less survivable cancers have been neglected for far too long and it’s time to ensure that they receive the attention they deserve.”
Here are the six least survivable forms of cancer and red flag symptoms to know for each one.
1. Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rates, with over half of people die within three months of diagnosis.
According to the ONS, less than 7 per cent of people with pancreatic cancer in UK live more than five years after diagnosis.
Surgery is one of the most effective ways of treating the disease, but a whopping 80 per cent of cases are diagnosed so late that the cancer is no longer operable.
Common symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:
- Indigestion, a painful, burning feeling in your chest, upper tummy or throat and a bitter, unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Tummy or back pain that can be worse when lying down
- Changes to your poo, like diarrhoea and constipation, as well as pale, oily poos that smell worse than normal and are difficult to flush
- Unintentional weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Bloating
- A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- Jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes that may be less obvious on black and brown skin, as well as dark pee, pale poo and itchy skin
Pancreatic Cancer UK recommends that anyone experiencing one or more of the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer – back pain, indigestion, tummy pain and weight-loss – contact their GP.
Anyone with jaundice should immediately go to A&E.
2. Liver cancer
According to the British Liver Trust, liver cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK, with death rates soaring by 44 per cent in the last decade.
Most cases are linked to damage and scarring of the liver, which is most often caused by viral hepatitis, alcohol and obesity.
This type of cancer can cause the following symptoms:
- Unintentional weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling very full after eating
- Feeling and being sick
- Pain or swelling in your abdomen
- Jaundice (yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes)
- Itchy skin,
- Feeling very tired and weak
- Fever with shivers
- Vomiting blood
- Dark black tarry poo
- Dark urine
3. Brain tumours
Brain tumours are the ninth most common cancer in the UK and 60 per cent of those diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour will die within a year, according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Symptoms can include:
- Headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Vision or speech problems
- Fits (seizures)
- Mental or behavioural change such as memory problems or changes in personality
4. Oesophageal cancer
About 9,200 cases of oesophageal cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK – but only 15 per cent of adult patients survive five years of more.
The oesophagus – sometimes called the gullet or food pipe – connects your mouth to your stomach.
The UK has one of the highest incidences of oesophageal cancer in the world, according Action Against Heartburn.
Symptoms of the disease may include:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Persistent indigestion or heartburn
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Vomiting
- Pain or discomfort in stomach, chest or back
- A persistent cough
- Hoarseness
- Tiredness
- Shortness of breath
5. Stomach cancer
Around 6,700 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the UK each year, according to CRUK.
Some 45 per cent of stomach cancer patients England and Wales survive their cancer for one year or more, but this number dwindles to 20 per cent at the five year mark.
Just 15 per cent will survive their cancer for 10 years or more.
Guts UK flagged these initial symptoms of the disease to get checked out:
- Indigestion that doesn’t go away
- Upper abdominal pain or discomfort
- Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Being sick (vomiting)
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Unexpected weight loss
- Burping
- Bleeding, resulting in a dark or black poo or vomiting blood,
- Symptoms of anaemia
6. Lung cancer
Over 49,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with lung cancer every year.
Smoking can significantly increase your risk of developing the cancer, but it’s by no means the only cause.
Around 30 per cent of lung cancer cases aren’t caused by smoking at all.
According to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, symptoms include:
- A persistent cough
- Shortness of breath
- Repeat chest infections
- A cough that does not go away or gets worse
- Coughing up blood
- Chest pain
- Feeling tired or weak
- Weight loss and loss of appetite
- Shoulder pain or back pain