A MAJOR boost in cancer survival rates has seen North Lincolnshire lifted off the bottom of Yorkshire and the Humber league tables.

Latest ten-year figures released by the Office For National Statistics show survival rates for all cancers have risen from 55.1 per cent in 1996 to 63.4 per cent in 2006.

The improvement equates to 351 people surviving cancer having been diagnosed in 2006, compared to 301 ten years previously.

Jenny Walton, 65, has successfully fought cancer seven times over the past eleven years and says she has seen considerable improvement in services.

She said: "I was first diagnosed with cancer of the vulva in 1999 and there have been so many improvements in cancer treatment during that time.

"The nurses are much more knowledgeable now than they were ten years ago.

"There is also a much greater understanding of the disease now and an increase in screenings will have also had an effect."

Mrs Walton began her treatment at Scunthorpe General Hospital and has since become involved with the Northern Lincolnshire And Goole Patient Involvement Group.

The group has worked with medical professionals to help improve cancer patients' experiences and believes greater communication has had a massive impact. She said: "Patients can help doctors improve the health service significantly and our ideas are really taken on board.

"Quite simple things, such as information leaflets and giving doctors advice on how to break sometimes devastating news can help patients find the right frame of mind to fight cancer."

NHS North Lincolnshire has embarked on a series of public awareness campaigns in recent years, including the current Cough Cough campaign, warning people over the early symptoms of lung cancer.

Frances Cunning, director of public health for North Lincolnshire, stressed the importance of screening for diseases such as breast, bowel and cervical cancer, as it means such illnesses can be detected early.

She said: "When people receive a letter about screening, we strongly urge them not to ignore it. We understand going for medical tests can be worrying and no one likes to think about the prospect of being ill, but screening means we can identify serious illnesses very early.

"The figures are very encouraging, but there is still room for improvement. One-year survival rates remain relatively low for some cancers, specifically lung cancer. This is because many people don't go to the doctors until symptoms are already quite advanced."

Nationally, survival rates in 2006 ranged from 70.3 per cent in Hammersmith And Fulham to 56.3 per cent in the East London borough of Newham.

A Department Of Health spokesman said: "We have been clear that more needs to be done to improve survival outcomes for patients.

"Everyone should be alert to the signs and symptoms of cancer – such as weight-loss, persistent pain and lumps – and visit their GP immediately."