‘It is utterly incomprehensible that a country like ours does not have a dedicated cancer plan’
Experts urge Government to take action as outcomes lag behind other nations
CANCER outcomes in the UK ‘lag behind’ those of countries with dedicated plans to tackle the disease, experts have said.
A new cancer plan should be a ‘key priority’ for the Government, academics said, as they warned that without dedicated policies ‘more patients with cancer will undoubtedly die’.
In a new commentary piece, published Lancet Oncology, experts argue that cancer waiting lists in the UK are ‘still the worst they have ever been’.
The latest figures for the NHS in England show that 76.3 per cent of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer in June were diagnosed or had it ruled out within 28 days – above the target of 75 per cent.
But it is only the fourth time the target has been exceeded since it was introduced in autumn 2021.
The proportion of patients in England waiting no longer than 62 days in June from an urgent suspected cancer referral or consultant upgrade to their first definitive treatment was 67.4 per cent. The target is 85 per cent.
The commentary piece suggests this means “over one in three people waiting more than 62 days for their vital cancer treatment, meaning that there is an increased risk of dying unnecessarily of this disease”.
The group of cancer doctors wrote: “Cancer care should be firmly placed back at the top of the political agenda – doing this would save thousands of people’s lives a year.”
They point to work by the International Cancer Benchmarking
Partnership, which highlights how ‘consistency of cancer policy is directly associated with improved outcomes’.
They added: “The UK also lags behind other countries that have consistent cancer plans (eg Denmark, France, and Norway).”
Lead author Mark Lawler, chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, said: “We’re at a critical moment for cancer care in the UK.
“Will we stand by as cancer outcomes continue to decline and patients die who could have been saved, or will we take decisive steps to fix this crisis?
“It is utterly incomprehensible that a country like ours does not have a dedicated cancer plan.
“The current Government may have inherited this problem from the last one, but it’s like being handed a ticking time bomb.
“Our research shows that countries with dedicated cancer plans and consistently implemented policies achieve better survival rates. If there was ever a time to act and ensure the UK leads in cancer care, rather than lagging behind, it is now.”
Professor Pat Price, founder of Catch Up With Cancer, said: “The Government has acknowledged that the NHS is broken and is reviewing the necessary actions. Whatever action they take, a new cancer plan to get us out of this mess must be at the top of the agenda. We’re at the bottom of the cancer league tables, and delays to cancer care remain alarmingly high.”
The Department for Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.