Although about 4,000 Danes continue to lose their battle with lung cancer every year, the proportion of lung cancer patients still alive five years after their diagnosis is increasing, reveals a new report from the Danish Lung Cancer Group.
The figures show that 12.8 percent of lung cancer patients diagnosed in 2010 were still alive last year, which is an increase of three percentage points compared to 2012.
According to Torben Riis Rasmussen, a senior consultant at Aarhus University Hospital and chairman of the Danish Lung Cancer Group, the higher survival curve is down to better oncological treatment and a better selection of patients who undergo a surgery.
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Capital Region more diligent
The chance of surviving lung cancer is the highest in the Capital Region, where 11-16 percent more patients survive compared to the rest of the country.
Rasmussen reckons hospitals in the Capital Region are more diligent in following up on patients and persistent in offering chemotherapy to patients who have undergone surgery.
He believes, however, that the regional disparities will be erased within a few years.
