Survival rates for cancer in the UK are not as good as in some other countries.

One of the reasons for this is poorer outcomes among certain groups and including older patients aged 75 years and over. An international research study by the National Cancer Equality Initiative (NCEI) has now shown that in several countries older people are often not offered the treatment most likely to benefit them.

The study (www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/02/age-oncology)  explored the extent to which age influences treatment decisions across a range of cancers: breast cancer (non-HER2-positive); chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML); colorectal cancer (bowel cancer); non-Hodgkin lymphoma; and renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer).

The findings revealed that while clinicians believe they do not discriminate against older people, there is a tendency for less intensive treatments to be prescribed according to the chronological age of the patient rather than their biological age. This means that more robust older patients are potentially denied potentially curative or life prolonging treatments.

Older people may also unwittingly collude in the process as they often have preconceptions about the side effects of chemotherapy or not report symptoms accurately or quickly enough.

Part of the problem is that clinical trials tend not to include older patients. Increased trial activity in this age group would provide clinicians with the information they need to better determine what approach is best for their patients.

Our Research Director Professor Chris Bunce says: “It’s time to revisit the options for older cancer patients. The advent of novel therapies and better care together with an increased understanding of these diseases is extending the opportunities for meaningful anticancer treatments over and above palliative care”.

The National Cancer Equality Initiative (NCEI) and the Pharmaceutical Oncology Initiative (POI) collaborated on this study, supported by the Department of Health.

The NCEI says more work needs to be done to provide guidance for clinicians so that they have accurate information about an older person’s ability to benefit from cancer treatment rather than making assumptions on the basis of age.

Sally Clark – Science Communications Team

On Saturday 4 February 2012 it is World Cancer Day which unites people around the globe in the fight against cancer. It’s a chance to highlight successes in medical research, as well as acknowledge that there is still much to do to improve treatment and diagnosis for all cancers.

In 1960 when Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research was founded blood cancer was a virtual death sentence. Now, just over 50 years later, the survival rates have drastically improved; most notably now more than 90 percent of children with the most common form of childhood leukaemia are cured. And treatment for patients with myeloma has been one of the fastest improving areas in cancer research in the last 10 years – amazing for a disease that was virtually untreatable only a few decades ago.

That said for some patients with blood cancer the chances of survival remain low. So there is still much work to be done.

However I am confident that these blood cancers can also be beaten. Not only is some of the best medical research being done on blood cancers, the network of experts that we have in this country, and the extent of collaborative research really is remarkable.

Our world-class research includes the whole spectrum of disciplines from basic laboratory research, which is vital for understanding how blood cancers develop, pioneering new treatments and improving diagnosis; translational research, which brings a detailed understanding of the diseases to develop and refine treatments and clinical trials, that test new treatments in patients and ultimately save more lives.

Last year we launched the Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) in the UK, a unique network of 13 treatment centres which will speed delivery of new life-saving treatments. This will facilitate our leading researchers across the UK being able to work together to run more clinical trials for patients with blood cancers. And I am certain we can really push survival rates up for all the blood cancers in a relatively short period of time.

Professor Chris Bunce – Research Director, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research

Today representatives from Macmillan Cancer Support will be heading to schools around the UK for the start of CancerTalk Week. The idea is to talk about the facts and dispel myths about cancer with school children of all ages.

Leukaemia is the most common cancer in children as around one in three of all childhood cancers is due to this blood cancer, and so it’s  a good opportunity for children to talk openly about the disease this week.

Here we look at  dispelling some myths and highlight key facts about leukaemia. 

Fact #1
Leukaemia is the most common form of cancer in children.
Around 450 children are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK.

Fact #2
Childhood leukaemia has been one of the greatest success stories of all cancers in recent decades.
50 years ago childhood leukaemia was a virtual death sentence. Now, nine in ten children survive the most common form, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

Fact #3
Blood cancers are the most common cancer in teenagers and young people.
In particular, a blood cancer called Hodgkin lymphoma is particularly common in teenagers. Thankfully, treatments for this blood cancer in this age group are extremely good and survival rates are now as high as 95%.

Fact #4
Anyone at any age can get a blood cancer.
People often associate leukaemia with children. In fact more adults get leukaemia than children, as well as other blood cancers such as lymphoma and myeloma. Often people think that only children get blood cancers, but in fact more adults are diagnosed with blood cancer, and it can develop at any time in a person’s life.

Our website contains lots more information about blood cancers.

We also have a section especially for patients where you can order and download our information, free of charge.

Mike - Science Communications team