§ Mr. Clappison:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the survival rates were for the most common forms of cancer in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other members of the European Union in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available. [143724]
§ Ruth Kelly:The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
672WLetter from Len Cook to Mr. James Clappison, dated 15 December 2003:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the survival rates for the most common forms of cancer in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other members of the European Union in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent period for which figures are available. [143724]
Comparable information on cancer survival in the European Union is provided by the EUROCARE study. This covers parts of the UK and Europe. The most recently published results from this study are in "Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe: the EUROCARE-2 Study" (IARC Scientific Publications No. 151); a copy is available in the House of Commons Library. These results relate to patients diagnosed with cancer during 1985–89 and followed up to the end of 1994.
Findings from EUROCARE-3 are currently due to be published in the Annals of Oncology in early 2004. This will provide information on survival up to five years after diagnosis for patients diagnosed with cancer during 1990–94 and followed up to the end of 1999.