The proportion of cancer patients in the Netherlands who survive at least four years after diagnosis has risen sharply, according to new figures from the Dutch Cancer Registry (NKR).

The improvement is largely attributed to advances in treatment and the development of new medicines.

Thirty years ago, 51% of cancer patients in the country survived the first four years following their diagnosis. Today that figure has increased to 72%, according to cancer monitoring group IKNL. “All the research into new treatment methods and medicines is really having an effect,” said spokesman Otto Visser.

The data also show differences in survival rates between age groups. Cancer patients under the age of 65 have a 10% higher chance of surviving the disease than older patients.

Visser said this is partly because new treatments — such as improved surgical techniques, wider use of chemotherapy and stem cell transplants — are initially more often targeted at younger patients, who are generally better able to cope with intensive therapies.

However, survival rates among older patients have also improved markedly over the past 15 years, he said.

On average, the number of cancer survivors increases by nearly 1% per year in the Netherlands, meaning around 1,000 additional patients survive cancer each year.