UK lung cancer survival rates among worst in Europe

I have read an article which touched upon the world wide issue of the highly spread problem of cancer. The author provided different kinds of statistics, leading generally to the fact that cancer is a global problem.

According to the statistics, in the UK survival rates are worse than in any part of the world, however breast cancer is successfully cured comparing to the whole world percentage. Although the difference between 1999 and 2009 are too small. England is still on the bottom of European and global list.

All around the world cancer survival percentage is still very low, for example North America shows only 15%-19%/ And so according to the professor Michael Coleman people should be more aware of symptoms and diagnosis. It's not just a question of disturbing a doctor.

If such gap in two types of cancer in different countries and in the UK is more or less understandable, then the difference in numbers in acute leukemia among children is terrific :the strikingly low percentage in African countries comparing to nearly 9 from 10 survival in highly developed countries.

Moreover such findings put up a question why this kind of gap exists between different countries though it shouldn't because of highly developing technologies of the 21st century. Claudia Allemani enumerated some causes, at least accessible to be changed in sense of improving health policy and investments in healthcare.

Among different kinds of reasons of cancer development the author distinguished the problems highly spread around the world - obesity. According to separate studies North America and Europe are both leaders of all rates.

And the UK with two third of overweight or even obese adults appeared as one of the leaders of an obesity- related male cancers, together with the Czech Republic, Jordan, Argentina and Malta. Furthermore some studies claimed that more than 100,000 cases could have never happened but for obesity. Such bursting out tendency will certainly touched South and North Africa. If this prevalence is ignored so the situation will get worse concerning not only obesity but cancer spreading as the consequence.

As a matter of fact I was astonished by this article survival rates. I didn't expect cancer being so easily cured, especially breast cancer that I supposed as the most difficult of woman cancers. However such intention in improvement of healthcare showed readiness to increase these brilliant results. And the statistics about leukemia is also surprising. But I don't think Russia can compete with Europe nor America in medication or technology. That's why a lot of different operations and expensive treatments are provided by foreign companies and clinics became a necessity and the only way for hopeless people. And it made me upset because Russia has everything to put into practice: special medical equipment, science laboratories, and of course human resources - practicing doctors and graduated students are ready to assume new methods and increase the level of their knowledge.

By all means I found the problem with a obesity really sharp in our world. Lack of physical exercises and inactive lifestyle, unwillingness to spend some time outside our own flats caused people being overweight. I was surprised that it also appeared as a cause of cancer development. And it certainly made me think of my own lifestyle - that it needed badly to be changed.

1. Do you think Russian people suffer from obesity?
2. Have you ever heard about somebody recovered from cancer?
3. Does the current level of health care in our country and in the world is good enough for the modern 21st century?


http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/26/uk-lung-cancer-rates-worst-europe-breast-cancer