Three out of four cancer patients in England will beat cancer under government plans to boost survival rates, as figures reveal one is diagnosed every 75 seconds in the UK.
Cancer is the country’s biggest killer, causing nearly one in four deaths, and survival rates are higher in many European countries, including Romania and Poland. Three quarters of NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, a Guardian analysis found last year, prompting experts to declare a “national emergency”.
In a new plan to be published on Wednesday, ministers will pledge £2bn to tackle the crisis by reforming cancer services, with millions of patients promised faster diagnosis, quicker treatment and more support to live well.
Some cancer performance targets have not been met by the NHS since 2015. Under the national cancer plan, all three waiting time standards will be met by 2029, ministers will announce.
And, for the first time, the government will commit to ensuring that, from 2035, 75% of patients will be cancer-free or living well, which means a normal life with disease under control five years after diagnosis. So far, six out of 10 have survived five years or more.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), this means 320,000 more lives have been saved over the 10-year plan.
The strategy, which cancer charities and health groups have been calling for for years, is sorely needed. A Macmillan Cancer Support report, also due to be published on Wednesday, shows how common the disease is. On average, around 1,200 people are now diagnosed every day in the UK or one person every 75 seconds.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, who revealed in 2021 that he was diagnosed and treated for kidney cancer at the age of 38, said: “As a cancer survivor who owes my life to the NHS, I owe it to future patients to ensure they receive the same good care that I did.
Cancer is “more likely to be a death sentence in Britain than in any other country around the world”, he said, but he was determined to change that. “Thanks to the revolution in medical science and technology, we have the opportunity to change the life chances of cancer patients,” he added.
“Our cancer plan will invest in and modernize the NHS, to seize the opportunity and deliver on our ambitions.
According to DHSC officials, the plan will include a £2.3bn investment to provide 9.5m extra tests by 2029, investment in more scanners, digital technology and automated testing.
Some community diagnostic centers also operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week. And the number of robot-assisted procedures will increase from 70,000 to half a million in 2035, reducing complications and freeing up more beds.
Each patient who may benefit will also be given a genomic test that analyzes their cancer’s DNA with the aim of finding the right treatment, the Guardian said.
Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS clinical director for cancer, said: “This plan sets out a clear road map for the NHS to diagnose more cancers earlier, ensure more patients are treated on time and improve survival, so hundreds of thousands more people can live longer, healthier lives with or after cancer over the next decade.
Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK (CRUK), welcomed the plan as she warned that “too many cancer patients” are still waiting too long to start treatment. “England is behind the rest of the world in cancer survival and it is vital that these changes are made, so that more people affected by cancer can live longer, better lives,” he said.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund think tank and a former executive director of CRUK, is skeptical about the chances of success.
While welcoming what he called a “bold” and “ambitious” plan, ministers should be careful not to “put the cart before the horse” and make sure they also provide basic cancer care quickly, he said.
“Many hospitals still cannot share the results of imaging or pathology in a timely manner because of the old technology that prevents them. Solving this should receive as much attention as the launch of large new AI projects,” he added.
There are also questions to be asked about the promise’s likelihood of hitting all three cancer benchmarks.
“The system as it stands will not meet cancer treatment standards by 2029 unless there is a major step change,” Woolnough said. “The government must demonstrate that it has the answers if it is to achieve its goal of revolutionizing cancer treatment, increasing survival rates and improving quality of life.”