LONDON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Britain has the worst cancer survival rate in Western Europe, a new study says.
The study, presented to the European Cancer Conference in Copenhagen, shows survival rates are improving across Europe. But, only eastern European countries such as Poland, Slovakia, and Estonia have a higher percentage of cancer related deaths than in Britain, the London Mirror reported Friday.
There also was some good news: another study shows that deaths from the four biggest killers -- heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and lung cancer -- fell by 14 per cent in England and Wales over the 10 years from 1990.
On average, 40 per cent of European men and 47 per cent of women with any type of cancer are alive five years later. But those in Austria, France and Switzerland have a better chance.
The cancer study compared survival rates from 42 types of cancer in 22 countries among 1.8 million adults and 24,000 children from 1990 to 1999.
