Improved technology and health insurance are helping those suffering with cancer in the US, Japan and France live longer than those in other parts of the world.
A recent study published in the Lancet Oncology looked at 12 million patients and found that the death rates for all cancer cases in the US had declined. The study examined the most common cases of the disease and found that America had the highest survival rates amongst patients with breast and prostate cancer .
There was also a decline in the death rates of colon and rectal cancers in men in Japan and the same result was seen among women in France.
It has been found that while technologies like computed tomography scanners play a significant role in diagnosis and treatment, those with private health insurance have the highest survival rate. According to the study, in the UK, patients in Northern Ireland outlived those in the rest of the country.