SURVIVAL rates for people living in the North West with some types of cancer are lower than the UK average, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.

New analysis by the charity, the CONCORD-2 global study, looked at the proportion of people who live for five or more years after being diagnosed with different forms of cancer.

In the North West survival rates are lower than the UK average for colon and liver cancer and for leukaemia.

The survival rate for people diagnosed with leukaemia in the North West is 38 per cent - nine per cent below the national average and 13 per cent lower than Yorkshire and the Humber, which has the best survival rates.

The charity is calling for all political parties to commit to tackling these poor survival rates and urgently prioritise improving cancer outcomes ahead of the upcoming general election.

Fay Scullion, general manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in northern England, said: “This analysis shows that your chances of surviving cancer vary considerably, depending on where you live in the UK and that simply isn’t good enough. It means people in the North West are dying needlessly.

“The study also exposes the harsh reality that overall, UK cancer survival rates are lagging far behind the rest of Europe. We are ten years behind other countries like Sweden, France and Finland.

“Whilst they are disheartening, these findings make it clear that better cancer survival rates are not unachievable. If other European countries can do it, then the UK should, and can, bridge the gap.

“With the general election in our sights, Macmillan is urging all political parties to make cancer a top health priority and commit to improving UK cancer survival rates and outcomes in order to match the best in Europe.”

Macmillan Cancer Support’s ‘Time to Choose’ campaign is calling on the public to pledge their support online at timetochoose.org.uk