asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many operations for cancer of the lung were performed in the last year for which figures are available; what is his estimate of the cost of these operations; what percentage of these operations were successful; and in how many instances smoking was the likely cause of the cancer.
Cancer of the lung is usually treated by radiotherapy. Only for those cases which are detected sufficiently early for there to have been no spread is surgery chosen. In 1973, the latest year for which figures are available, there were an estimated 11,830 NHS hospital spells in England and Wales in which a surgical operation on the lung and bronchus was associated with a main diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of the tranchea, bronchus or lung. No estimate is made of the cost of these operations. For malignant disease, successful treatment or cure is usually measured in terms of the corrected five-year survival rate of all cases registered. For 1963 registrations, the latest on which complete follow up has been obtained, the five-year survival rates for lung cancer are 6·2 per cent. for males and 4·6 per cent. for females. It is estimated that about 90 per cent. of lung cancer in males is caused by smoking and about 40 per cent. in females.