Every year, about 30,000 people in Scotland are told they have cancer and trends predict that the number is likely to rise to almost 35,000 in 2016-2020. The total number of people diagnosed with the disease is increasing year on year, largely due to the increasing number of elderly people in the population and the fact that life expectancy is increasing.
Over the last 20 years, almost all cancers have shown improvement in survival five years after diagnosis and survival from cancer in Scotland is similar to that in England and Wales.
In the last decade, overall cancer mortality rates have decreased. Cancer remains a national clinical priority for the Scottish Government and NHSScotland and Better Cancer Care was launched in October 2008 to set out a series of actions and key priorities that will make a real difference to the services and support provided in Scotland.
Better Cancer Care Progress Report 2010
Progress made in delivering the commitments set out in Better Cancer Care has been produced and is now available to view online. This report highlights the achievements made over the last two years in improving cancer services, and identifies a number of areas where more work is needed. Theses areas will be prioritised as part of the Scottish Cancer Taskforce's future workplan. If you would like more information on specific pieces of work, please contact the Cancer Strategies Team.
More information on how these actions are being delivered is available on the Scottish Cancer Taskforce pages.
- The Scottish Government is embarking on a 'Detect Cancer Early' initiative and has produced a draft implementation plan which we are keen to hear your views and comments on by 26 August 2011.
- The draft Prostate Cancer QPI Engagement Document and supporting documentation are now available for download and comment. Please click on this link for details.