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Treasury;Office for National Statistics

Answer

Mr. Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest survival rate is for those suffering from (a) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, (b) acute myelogenous leukaemia, (c) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, (d) esophageal cancer, (e) osteosarcoma, (f) pancreatic cancer, (g) retinoblastoma, (h) sarcoma, (i) stomach cancer, (j) thyroid cancer and (k) Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia. [127020] John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply. Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. John Baron, dated 22 July 2003: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the latest survival rate is for those suffering from (a) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, (b) acute myelogenous leukaemia, (c) chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, (d) oesophageal cancer, (e) osteosarcoma, (f) pancreatic cancer, (g) retinoblastoma, (h) sarcoma, (i) stomach cancer, (j) thyroid cancer and (k) Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia. I am replying on his behalf. (127020). The frequency with which cancer survival statistics are updated depends on how commonly the cancer occurs. Cancer survival rates are routinely estimated for eight major cancers, which account for almost 60 per cent. of all cancers. These include stomach and oesophageal cancer. The latest available survival rates for the eight cancers are for patients diagnosed in 1993-95 and followed up to the end of 2000. Five years relative survival rates by sex and age group for England are available on the National Statistics website at: http//www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D4924.xls. The five year relative survival rates for stomach cancer were 11.1 per cent. and 11.8 per cent. for men and women respectively, and for oesophageal cancer were 6.7 per cent. and 7.7 per cent. respectively. The report Cancer survival in the health authorities of England 1993-2000 provides information about the methods used is available on the National Statistics website at: http:// www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ13 v4.pdf. Pancreatic cancer is one of the twenty most common cancers, which together account for almost 90 per cent. of all cancers. The latest available cancer survival figures for those sites not included in the eight mentioned above, are for patients diagnosed in 1991-93 and followed up tot eh end of 1998. Five year survival rates by sex and age group for England and Wales for these cancers are published in the report Cancer survival in England and Wales, 1991-1998 which is available on the National Statistics website at:http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/ HSQ6Book.pdf. The five year relative survival rates for pancreatic cancer were 2.4 per cent. and 2.1 per cent. for men and women respectively. The latest information on survival from the other requested cancer sites, with the exception of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia, is summarised in Cancer Survival Trends in England and Wales, 1971-95: deprivation and NHS Region. This publication presents cancer survival trends in patients diagnosed between 1971 and 1990 and followed up for at least five years to the end of 1995; it is available in the House of Commons Library. The five year relative survival rates for adults (aged 15-99) were 8 per cent. for acute myeloid leukaemia, 51 per cent. for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, 51 per cent. for connective tissue (sarcoma) and 73 per cent. for thyroid cancer. For those cancers analysed for children (aged 0-14), the five year relative survival rates were:76 per cent. for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, 51 per cent. for osteosarcoma and 93 per cent. for retinoblastoma. Survival figures for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia are not available.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

127020; 409 c883-4W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Cancer Diseases Leukaemia Pancreatic cancer Oesophageal cancer Thyroid cancer Stomach cancer Retinoblastoma Osteosarcoma Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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