The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a free market think-tank, has released data showing that if UK cancer patients were treated in Germany or Belgium rather than by the NHS, more than 13,000 lives would be saved each year.

The report highlights that the 5-year survival rate for breast, lung and bowel cancer in the UK is the lowest among high-income countries, and for prostate cancer, it is lower than most developed countries. The UK survival rate is about average for melanoma.

The IEA press release can be viewed here and the report can be viewed here.