10 October 2023 , 23:01
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Lung cancer is still claiming the most years of life lost than any other cancer, new analysis shows.
Cancer Research UK has conducted unprecedented research outlining which cancers rob most from sufferers in terms of years of life with their loved ones. Of the two million years of life estimated to be lost to cancer each year, based on average life expectancy, lung cancer claimed 500,000.
Bowel cancer, which claimed the life of TV presenter Dame Deborah James, was next at 214,000 years of life lost. Breast cancer claimed 197,000 years, followed by 127,000 for pancreatic cancer and 114,000 for cancer of the oesophagus.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “This new analysis is a stark reminder of the impact cancer has on so many people’s lives in the UK today.
“Behind statistics are people affected by cancer, and these years of life lost are missed chances to reach milestones and spend precious time with loved ones.”
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The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, shows the toll still taken by lung cancer which has smoking as a major cause.
Some cancers, like testicular, contribute a smaller number of lost years overall because they are rare. However people with testicular cancer lose 33 years of life on aversage, because it is usually diagnosed in younger people.
So though relatively few people die from the disease because survival is high, those who do die, are usually younger. Researchers including experts from King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London found rates of years of life lost have fallen by 15%
overall over the last 30 years.
However some cancers have bucked that trend mainly due to more cases, with lives lost to liver cancer going up by 157%. Skin cancer saw a 38% increase in years lost while kidney cancer ws up 21%.
Author Dr Judith Offman, of Queen Mary University of London, said: “This analysis allows us to see the impact cancer has on patients and their families, and the precious time that is lost as a result.
“Measuring years of life lost over a 30-year period provides a different lens to evaluate where health policies and advances in treatment have worked and highlight areas where more needs to be done.
“Research like this is instrumental in helping leaders in health and politics make the best decisions for patients and their loved ones.”
Overall total years of life lost per year to all cancers combined has risen since the 1980s largely due to our growing population.
The study looked at the period of 1988 and 1992 and compared average annual years of life lost to the period of 2013 to 2017.