The chance of surviving cancer for 10 years after diagnosis has increased by more than 24% in England and Wales over nearly five decades, but researchers say progress has slowed partly because of longer waiting times.

A study, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), suggests survival rates between the most and least deadly types of the disease are wider than ever before.

Researchers examined long-term cancer trends for adults across England and Wales over 48 years, from 1971 to 2018.

They found the cancer survival index (CSI) - the percentage surviving 10 years after diagnosis - was 49.8% for all cancers in 2018. That compares with just 23.7% in 1971.

But experts say the speed of improvement has slowed down and "is likely to be at least partly explained b

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