Early detection helps to boost cancer survival rates

It is predicted that 42% of men and 51% of women diagnosed between 2000 and 2004 will live for at least five years.

The statistics show that survival rates for men have increased by 17% since the period from 1980 to 1984, while female survival rates are up by 13%.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the figures underlined the need to attend regular screening programmes.

The number of people surviving prostrate cancer has increased by 34%, while five-year survival rates for those with a malignant melanoma of the skin have gone up by 25% for men and 12% for women over the 20-year period.

Survival rate

Testicular cancer has the highest five-year survival rate of 97%. Women with breast cancer have an 84% chance of survival, while the rate for those with cervical cancer is 83%.

However, over the 20-year period the survival rates for cancers of the pancreas decreased by 0.9% for both sexes.

There was also a 3.6% drop in survival rates for women with cancers of the brain and central nervous system and a 1.2% fall in the survival rate for females suffering from cancers of the larynx.

The health secretary welcomed the overall rise in the cancer survival rate.

Early diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death Nicola Sturgeon Health Secretary

Ms Sturgeon said: "Cancer treatment in Scotland is as good as anywhere in the world - with new drugs and state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment in all of our cancer centres."

But she said there was more to be done to ensure Scots had the best possible chance of survival following a cancer diagnosis.

"Early diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death," she added.

"That is why cancer screening programmes and carrying out self-checks are so vital."