There has been a major increase in the number of teenagers and young adults who survive acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), new figures show.
Almost half of 15 to 24-year-olds who are diagnosed with AML are now cured, according to research led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The figures reveal that the proportion who survive the disease has risen from just eight per cent in 1975 to 48 per cent in 2006.
Lead author Dr Anjali Shah, whose findings are published in the British Journal of Haematology, said: 'Our study suggests that the main reason for these improvements is the development of new treatments, combined with good levels of recruitment to UK clinical trials.
'These key issues have been effective in curing more people of AML.'
However, chances of survival are lower for older patients, with just 13 per cent of 60 to 69-year-olds and five per cent of over-70s who were diagnosed in 2006 expected to be cured of the disease.
Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, which part-funded the study alongside the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, observed that the cure rate for older patients is still 'low'.
'This is why we're funding more important trials to improve treatments for these groups, to save more lives and to reduce the long-term side-effects of treatment,' he added.
View the research -