THREE-QUARTERS of cancer patients in the UK could expect to live for at least 10 years within the next decade, a leading doctor has said.
Dr David Graham, speaking as an expert for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), said improvements were being made in cancer diagnosis and treatment all the time.
At the moment, figures from Cancer Research UK show that half of people with cancer live for a decade.
Dr Graham said: “I think we are already seeing fantastic changes in survival rates already.
“We’ve seen that even in the last decade. There are a number of cancers already that have become chronic, manageable diseases.”
One example was that some women with breast cancer are able to live long lives taking hormonal pills “with minimal side-effects and problems”.
And he said survival rates for cancers would keep on improving.
He said it would be a “fantastic goal” if cancer could be managed in the same way as diabetes or high blood pressure.
“We don’t cure high blood pressure, we don’t cure diabetes. We find a way for people to live with them.”
Part of the battle against cancer lies in tackling smoking and obesity rates, both of which impact on the risk of cancer, he said.
Obesity is now considered to be a bigger risk factor for cancer than smoking, he added.
He said: “It’s a fight, it’s a worthy fight to have.”
Dr Graham also works at the Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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