Cancer survival rates in Brighton and Hove lower than national average (From The Argus)
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Cancer survival rates in Brighton and Hove lower than national average
8:20am Saturday 16th March 2013 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter
Brighton and Hove is failing to tackle cancer deaths as effectively as the rest of the country.
While cancer death rates have been improving dramatically across England, the city has much poorer survival rates than the rest of the country, according to a report prepared for Brighton and Hove City Council’s shadow health and wellbeing board.
The report by the city’s health bosses found that there were poorer survival rates of cancers in the city compared to both the county-wide and national picture.
Survival rates for lung cancer were described as “significantly worse” than the national average.
In Brighton and Hove the survival rate for lung cancer between 2004 and the end of 2009 was just 21.2%, worse than the national average of 29.4% and also worse than any other area of Sussex.
The report also said that the take up rates of screening for bowel, breast and cervical cancers in Brighton and Hove was lower than the national average.
Premature deaths
The report said: “Cancer is one of the biggest causes of death, and accounts for about 38% of all deaths in the under 75s – 266 premature deaths in 2010.
“Around 1,150 people in the city are diagnosed with cancer each year; of these, over half are for the four main cancers (210 female breast, 135 prostate, 150 lung and 140 colorectal cancers).
"These cancers are also responsible for about half the premature deaths.
“The death rate amongst the under 75s in the city is higher than the national death rate.
“At a national level, this rate has been steadily decreasing, but this is not the case in Brighton and Hove, where the decline has been very small.”
The report said that preventing cancers in the first place was one of the best ways of improving the situation and said that “investment in cancer services has increased over the past three years allowing for improvements in treatment” and “substantial programmes of work tackling awareness and early diagnosis have been undertaken.”
Steps included holding awareness and education events.
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Comments(2)
50 Shades of Grey Mortuary Services Inc.
says...
8:58am Sat 16 Mar 13
Amazing what can be spouted from incomplete and sparse data. It's only going to get worse as public health quangos fumble to justify their existence to get meagre funding.
Glasgow has better rates for many cancers in patients in their 70s - presumably because so many poor people there have the good sense to die in their mid 50s?
More elderly = more cancers. Keeping people alive for longer means an increase in cancer. Cancer rates will fall when cardiac diseases start claiming lives sooner. This will also help to cover up the pension crisis.
Morpheus says...
8:46am Sat 16 Mar 13