Survival rates in UK for two lethal cancers lower than in comparable countries, research shows

Lung cancer is the UK’s most lethal form of cancer, killing 34,800 people a year in the UK, while colon cancer kills 16,800. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

People in the UK who are diagnosed with the two most lethal forms of cancer die sooner than those in many other comparable countries, a new study has found.

Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed the UK ranked a lowly 31st out of 43 countries for how many people survive at least five years after being diagnosed with lung cancer.