Deaths from breast, prostate and colorectal cancer will decrease by 44% between 1992 and 2020, whilst deaths from lung cancer will decrease by only 16%, according to projections by Macmillan Cancer Support.
In seven years only one in three (36%) breast and prostate cancer patients and nearly two in five (39%) people with colorectal cancer will die from their cancer. Whereas 76% of lung cancer patients will not survive their illness.
Macmillan estimated that by 2020 almost one in two people (47%) will get cancer in their lifetime but almost four in ten (38%) will not die from the disease.
Ciarán Devane, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "It is high time we closed the gap between survival rates for different cancers and give everyone the best possible chance of recovery.
"We must catch the illness earlier through better awareness and we have to make sure access to surgery is more uniform across the country to reduce inequalities in cancer survival. It cannot be right that you are much more likely to get the surgery you need if you live in Leicestershire, than if you live in Lancashire."
Macmillan is calling on the NHS to increase early diagnosis of lung cancer and to provide all patients with equal access to specialist surgery.
