Under the new strategy, the government says three in four cancer patients in England could beat the disease.
Cancer has been the biggest killer in England for over a decade, causing around one in four deaths. Survival rates also lag behind multiple European countries, including Germany and Sweden.
However, in a new plan announced on Wednesday (4th February) – in line with World Cancer Day – the government pledged £2bn to tackle the crisis. Ministers said the funding will be used to transform cancer services, with millions of patients set to receive faster diagnoses and quicker treatment.
Some cancer targets have not been met by the NHS since 2014, including the goal for 85% of patients to start treatment within 62 days of referral. Under the new plan, all waiting time standards are expected to be met by 2029.
The biggest, and most ambitious, target is the government’s commitment that, from 2035, 75% of patients will either be cancer-fee or living well. This means people will be living a normal life, with the disease under control, five years after their diagnosis.
Currently, six in ten patients in England survive five years or more and, around 2.4 million people are living after a cancer diagnosis. According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), 320,000 more lives could be saved under the 10-year plan.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: ‘Cancer survival shouldn’t come down to who won the lottery of life. But cancer is more likely to be a death sentence in Britain than other countries around the world.
‘As a cancer survivor who owes my life to the NHS, I owe it to future patients to make sure they receive the same outstanding care I did.’
‘Thanks to the revolution in medical science and technology, we have the opportunity to transform the life chances of cancer patients,’ Streeting continued. ‘Our cancer plan will invest in and modernise the NHS, so that opportunity can be seized and our ambitions realised.’
The plan outlines £2.3bn in investment to deliver 9.5 million more tests by 2029. Some community diagnostic centres will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, while the number of robot-assisted procedures will rise from 70,000 to half a million by 2035.
Gemma Peters, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘It’s encouraging to see such bold survival ambitions in the National Cancer Plan for England.
‘This plan has the potential to transform care for people living with cancer, ensuring people not only live longer but live better with their diagnosis. We look forward to working with the government to make this vision a reality: adding life to years, as well as years to life.’
Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s – a leading cancer charity based in Yorkshire – has also welcomed the plan.
‘We warmly welcome the introduction of the new target and look forward to working with the government and the NHS to ensure people can live well with cancer,’ Lee said.
‘At Maggie’s, we believe that with the right support, people can live full, productive lives with and beyond cancer. While the number of people diagnosed [with] cancer is only going to rise, more people are surviving than ever before or living for many years as medical advancements [are] effectively keeping cancer at bay.’
News of the governments National Cancer Plan comes as ministers take action on the causes of cancer, including a ban on smoking for future generations and a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm.
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