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I think it's fair enough to ask how come a country that claims to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world (the UK) has such bad cancer survival rat

I think it's fair enough to ask how come a country that claims to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world (the UK) has such bad cancer survival rates?

pedrocr 17y ago
From what I have seen about the UK system it is very much based on a cost-benefit tradeoff for treatments. Basically they do all the treatments that fit in the budget ordered by how many extra years of life expectancy each will add on average to the patient. Other countries have much less rational ways of going about it so it may very well be that on the specific case of cancer they are bellow standard just because the standard is irrationally high. Statistics about life expectancy at birth put them at number 25 slightly above the EU average and the US. They are still bellow a bunch of other European countries and of course life expectancy is a function of more than the health service itself but also the habits of the population in terms of diet, exercise, etc. Edit: According to this (random google search): http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_dea_fro_can-health-death-from-cancer http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_dea_fro_can-health-dea... The UK actually beats the US and most of Europe on the number of actual cancer deaths. So either its healthcare or its eating/exercise habits is doing enough about cancer prevention to make them perform well on general survival. Maybe they do perform badly once you have cancer though.
wisty 17y ago
Cancer is what kills you if nothing else does. Either that or heart failure. If people are dying from TB or other easily treated (or prevented) diseases, then it's time to question the health system. Early detection is a huge factor in treatable cancers, and that might be social factors (Brits refusing to go for a checkup), rather than their health-care system. The biggest difference is between men and women; not between countries. Perhaps women are more likely to get their lumps checked?
Adam503 17y ago
I think it fair to show the video of John Stewart destroying Betsy McCaughey, author of both the death panel lies and now this cancer survival rate lies. http://www.mediaite.com/tv/finally-jon-stewart-gives-betsy-mccaughey-a-polite-but-devastating-smackdown-on-the-daily-show/ http://www.mediaite.com/tv/finally-jon-stewart-gives-betsy-m... http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba596 http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba596 "...Two interesting things about this Daily Show interview with GOP health care demagogue Betsy McCaughey: (1) It was cut off in the middle, with Stewart directing viewers immediately after to the website, where the unedited second part would be waiting; and (2) Stewart patiently, politely, and firmly smacked down her exaggerations, misrepresentations and lies. I hope every other newscaster in America was watching...."

I think it's fair enough to ask how come a country that claims to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world (the UK) has such bad cancer survival rates?

pedrocr 17y ago

From what I have seen about the UK system it is very much based on a cost-benefit tradeoff for treatments. Basically they do all the treatments that fit in the budget ordered by how many extra years of life expectancy each will add on average to the patient. Other countries have much less rational ways of going about it so it may very well be that on the specific case of cancer they are bellow standard just because the standard is irrationally high. Statistics about life expectancy at birth put them at number 25 slightly above the EU average and the US. They are still bellow a bunch of other European countries and of course life expectancy is a function of more than the health service itself but also the habits of the population in terms of diet, exercise, etc. Edit: According to this (random google search): http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_dea_fro_can-health-death-from-cancer http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_dea_fro_can-health-dea... The UK actually beats the US and most of Europe on the number of actual cancer deaths. So either its healthcare or its eating/exercise habits is doing enough about cancer prevention to make them perform well on general survival. Maybe they do perform badly once you have cancer though.

wisty 17y ago

Cancer is what kills you if nothing else does. Either that or heart failure. If people are dying from TB or other easily treated (or prevented) diseases, then it's time to question the health system. Early detection is a huge factor in treatable cancers, and that might be social factors (Brits refusing to go for a checkup), rather than their health-care system. The biggest difference is between men and women; not between countries. Perhaps women are more likely to get their lumps checked?

Adam503 17y ago

I think it fair to show the video of John Stewart destroying Betsy McCaughey, author of both the death panel lies and now this cancer survival rate lies. http://www.mediaite.com/tv/finally-jon-stewart-gives-betsy-mccaughey-a-polite-but-devastating-smackdown-on-the-daily-show/ http://www.mediaite.com/tv/finally-jon-stewart-gives-betsy-m... http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba596 http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba596 "...Two interesting things about this Daily Show interview with GOP health care demagogue Betsy McCaughey: (1) It was cut off in the middle, with Stewart directing viewers immediately after to the website, where the unedited second part would be waiting; and (2) Stewart patiently, politely, and firmly smacked down her exaggerations, misrepresentations and lies. I hope every other newscaster in America was watching...."