Early diagnosis rates up in Scotland
The number of patients in Scotland having their cancer diagnosed early has been increasing since 2010. The Information Services Division of Scotland’s new statistics have shown a sizeable increase of 6.5% in Stage 1 diagnosis of breast, lung and colorectal cancers, meaning almost a quarter of all cancers in Scotland are being diagnosed at Stage 1 of the tumour’s development.
The early diagnosis of a cancer can be the difference between life and death in so many cases. Catching a cancer early, before a tumour has grown and spread, allows for both a greater option of treatment and a higher success rate of treatment. Great strides have been made in improving survival rates, adding years on to patients’ lives and curing many. We hope the example of the Detect Cancer Early programme used in Scotland and the Be Clear on Cancer programmes in England are used and spread to cover all cancers.
It is only through a combination of better diagnosis and a marked improvement in treatments, which only research can provide, that we see the results in brain tumour survival we need.
We are delighted to welcome schemes that promote early diagnosis but believe we need to underline the fact that these schemes must be used as a complement to the efforts to find new treatments. Research is the only way to save the lives of brain tumour patients and more must be done to support it.
