Ministers are being urged to address the “desperate situation” faced by Scots diagnosed with some forms of cancer, with campaigners calling for action to improve survival rates which see three out five die within a year of diagnosis.
New analysis shows that the average one year survival for a patient diagnosed with what is classed as a “less survivable cancer” in Scotland is just 39%.
Survival rates for these forms of the disease – lung, liver, brain, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach cancer – are in contrast with the overall cancer survival rate in Scotland, with almost three quarters (71%) of patients still alive 12 months after diagnosis.
In the wake of the figures the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce Scotland is demanding the Scottish set up a dedicated national action plan.
Across the UK…