Displaying items by tag: cancer care

A new national cancer plan for England has been published, marking a significant moment after years of calls for a long-term, ambitious cancer strategy. The ten-year plan covers prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care, and research, with a central aim for 75% of people diagnosed with cancer to survive at least five years by 2035. Given that cancer outcomes in England have lagged behind comparable nations, this focus on survival has been widely welcomed, though delivering it will be challenging. Positive commitments include a full rollout of lung screening by 2030, stronger emphasis on earlier diagnosis, and meeting cancer waiting time targets by 2029. The plan also highlights innovations such as AI tools and liquid biopsies, and places welcome priority on children’s and young people’s cancer research. Efforts to reduce risk factors like smoking and UV exposure are noted; however, concerns remain about limited detail on implementation, responsibility, and funding. The plan sets oversight structures and promises progress reviews, but its success will depend on sustained investment, clear accountability, and determined delivery across the NHS and research system. See

Hospitals are meant to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral. Government cancer strategies have always insisted that meeting that deadline is vital in order to ease patient anxiety, lower the risk of complications, and improve outcomes. It is impossible to tell exactly what impact waiting longer might have: much depends on the type of cancer and whether it is diagnosed at an advanced stage or not. Nearly three-quarters of services are failing to meet that deadline. The worst performer was the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust, which saw fewer than 61% of patients within 62 days. Bosses there said they had seen a larger surge in demand than in other services. Other trusts have also pointed to increased demand, with the biggest regional centres seeing the most complex cases that tend to take the longest time.