Survival rates 10 years after cancer predicted for first time

National data experts have - for the first time - predicted how many people with cancer can expect to survive a decade.

The new figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show what proportion of people newly-diagnosed in 2015 can expect to survive to at least 2025.

For men with melanoma, 87.2% can expect to be alive after a decade, while 79.9% of men with prostate cancer should also still be alive.

The survival for kidney cancer and non-hodgkin lymphoma is predicted to be 56.9%, while 56% of men with bowel cancer can expect to still be alive after 10 years.

Just over half of men with bladder cancer should survive 10 years, while the figure is 44.8% for leukaemia.

For women with melanoma, 91.5% can expect to be alive after a decade, while 80.6% should be alive 10 years after a breast cancer diagnosis.

The survival for cervical cancer is predicted to be 64.3%, while it is 59.8% for women with bowel cancer, and 44.7% for leukaemia.

The ONS also published new data on five-year survival for patients, which remains below 25% for cancers of the brain, liver, lung, mesothelioma, oesophagus, pancreas and stomach.

However, 86.3% of women with breast cancer are still alive five years after diagnosis, as are most men with prostate cancer and both sexes with melanoma.

Dr Rebecca Smittenaar, Cancer Research UK's statistics manager, said: "Cancer survival is improving and has doubled over the last 40 years. For a number of cancers, including breast and skin cancer, more than eight out of 10 people will survive their disease.

"Research has led to better treatments, new drugs, more accurate tests, earlier diagnosis and screening programmes - giving patients a better chance of survival.

"Survival remains low for some cancers, including lung, pancreatic, oesophageal cancer and brain tumours, partly because they tend to be diagnosed at a later stage when they're much harder to treat.

"To turn this around Cancer Research UK has increased investment in these cancers and is carrying out vital research to help save more lives."