The survival rate for sufferers of bowel cancer in Telford & Wrekin is one of the best in the country, a report revealed today.

The second annual cancer reform strategy report released by the Department of Health showed that there was an 80 per cent chance of diagnosed patients in the borough surviving the disease for one year – the international “good practice” level was 79 per cent, the report said.

The Telford figure compared compared with a survival rate of just 57.9 per cent in the London borough of Waltham Forest, but the report said almost all primary care trusts in England failed to match the best cancer survival rates in Europe.

It comes as Cancer Research UK today slammed what it claimed was a postcode lottery which led to sufferers of cancers in some parts of the country having significantly less chance of survival.

The charity said there was “no excuse” for the differences and called for urgent action from the Government.

Diagnosis

The Department of Health report said the roll out of bowel cancer screening to men and women in their 60s had already helped in the diagnosis of 4,000 cancers.

It also showed that 78 per cent of girls aged 12 to 13 years had been vaccinated against cervical cancer, with the vaccine estimated to save about 400 lives a year.

For lung cancer, Kensington and Chelsea had the best one-year survival rate at 43.7 per cent while the worst was in Herefordshire where it was15.4 per cent.

Breast cancer one-year survival was 99 per cent in Torbay but just 89 per cent in Tower Hamlets.

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “These shocking statistics confirm that the cancer postcode lottery remains a real problem.

“Patients are undoubtedly not being diagnosed early enough in large parts of the country, nor are they getting equal access to the best treatments, such as surgery for lung cancer.

“There is no excuse for such a big difference between different areas.

“It’s a disgrace that such a small proportion of PCTs have survival rates that match the best figures in Europe, or even the best rates in Europe 10 years ago. This needs urgent action.”

Ciaran Devane, of Macmillan Cancer Support, welcomed improved survival rates, but added: “We must stay focused to ensure that no matter who you are, where you are, or which cancer you have, you get the possible best cancer care.”

By Simon Hardy