In The News

The near tripling of three-month cancer treatment delays is nothing short of a tragedy. Every four weeks of delay in cancer treatment can increase the risk of death by 10 per cent. These statistics represent people and are further evidence of the lethal legacy that Labour faces on cancer. Disparities based on age and location are being exacerbated by the fact we do not have a dedicated national cancer plan in this country.

Cancer affects one in two people in their lifetime. Everybody knows somebody who has been touched by cancer. Sometimes, we fear it too much and think if we don’t talk about it, it won’t happen to us. We need to be much more open about it in our society.

This has to be a number one priority. All health backlogs are bad, but this is the most deadly, and the most urgent. So if the administration can focus on this as a national priority, get this right, the amount of good that will do , it will save lives.

Cancer is a complex disease. But the starting point to tackling our poor survival outcomes is simple: get a plan.

Reverse the decision made by the last Government to scrap the national cancer control plan. All the international evidence shows that countries with national cancer plans have better survival. And make sure the plan is properly resourced and ensures we treat on time as well as diagnose early.

There is an incredible opportunity to really help cancer patients and save more lives for a modest cost. New high tech radiotherapy treatments cost very little over their life and offer one of the best cure rates. They can reduce hospital visits from 20 or more to just one or two, thereby slashing waiting times.

We need to ensure timely treatment as well as quick diagnosis. If you boost diagnosis but don’t treat people on time, the newly diagnosed patients just end up stuck on long waiting lists. Unless the NHS focuses on tackling these challenges, thousands of patients may die prematurely.

Obviously, I welcome efforts to boost screening and diagnosis. However, boosting diagnosis on its own isn't enough if we then simply add the patients to an already far too long waiting list for treatment.

A timely reminder that the cancer crisis continues and dangerous delays have been normalised.

Cancer waiting times must be a national priority for the next government.I appeal to all our leaders to commit to a dedicated cancer plan and a boost to cancer treatment. And that must include a proper boost to radiotherapy cancer treatments, technology and the cancer workforce.

These cancer stats tell a deadly story of delays to crucial cancer patient care. Cancer patients not getting their treatment on time is a disaster that cannot be allowed to continue in the next parliament. Anything less than this and we will never get out of the cancer crisis.

Cancer patients not getting their treatment on time is a disaster.

We are pleased to see the pledge to replace ageing radiotherapy cancer treatment machines and increase their overall number. Better access to radiotherapy is vital for timely cancer treatment. The simple reality is that cancer services in the UK are in crisis, and it will take a focused, concerted effort by the next Government to improve cancer outcomes.

We are pleased to see the pledge to replace ageing radiotherapy cancer treatment machines and increase their overall number. Better access to radiotherapy is vital for timely cancer treatment. The simple reality is that cancer services in the UK are in crisis, and it will take a focused, concerted effort by the next Government to improve cancer outcomes.

What is so heart-breaking and so frustrating is that it doesn’t have to be this way. The Government and NHS can get a grip on cancer. But only if they accept there’s a crisis, get cancer to the top of the agenda, and then change what they’re doing and how they are doing it.

So this really stimulates you to actually fight your own cancer- which is great. So it’s individualized for everybody’s individual cancer; which is a game changer.

Cancer treatment capacity is beyond breaking point. What makes this frustration intolerable is when ministers and NHS leaders seem to suggest that everything is in hand because we are diagnosing more cancer patients. But what good is a cancer diagnosis if we don’t treat the patients on time? The stark reality is that without a greater priority on treatment, these diagnosed patients just pile up on record waiting lists. If ever there was a time to get a grip on the situation and deliver a cancer plan backed by investment, it is now.

A cancer diagnosis is always deeply concerning, but the fact that the princess is so young and very much in the prime of her life makes this news all the more upsetting and unsettling.

She is amazing. That was such a beautiful interview, she’s done so well. So much she has had to go through, with her family, and everything now, so it’s a positive message, and that sharing it with others, all the people out there, who similarly got problems, they know they are not alone, and hopefully now this will get cancer right at the top of the agenda.

The surgery itself will have removed the cancer. Sometimes in some tumours there's a little bit of a concern about whether there's anything that's been left behind or whether there's a risk of it coming back.

She is so brave for speaking about her cancer diagnosis ahead of more difficult treatment. Fear of the unknown can be the worst thing for those who find out they have the disease.

She is amazing. She’s got to go through some more treatment which will be difficult. Once (cancer) is caught early, that’s usually when we can cure it.

She'll be a massive figurehead to people with cancer, to show how you have to dig deep.

This is preventative chemotherapy. When a cancer has been surgically removed and taken away, we sometimes give chemotherapy afterwards, just in case. Just in case there’s any cells that were missed or escaped, and that can take the form of either tablets or injections, usually for a limited amount of time and then stopped.

As was the case with the King's diagnosis, her doing so will no doubt give many more people that vital prompt to get themselves checked and give others affected by cancer more confidence to speak about their own experience. This announcement is a stark and shocking reminder that cancer is no respecter of age or social status.

Professor Price tells Sky News, cancer patients telling their family and children “can be the worst bit”.

This is not okay, this should be top of the government priority. And the thing is, they've been told what they need to do. It’s not as though the experts haven’t made suggestions about what could be done: workforce, equipment, all these sorts of things, but it just doesn't seem to be anybody’s problem.

Professor Price described the situation as “a disaster for cancer patients” and called for “a radical new cancer plan and a clear implementation plan to improve waiting times and cancer survival”.

I am once again urgently appealing to Ministers and NHS officials to take urgent action. By any metric available we see cancer treatment delays remaining at near-record level. We desperately need a radical new cancer plan and a clear implementation plan to improve waiting times and cancer survival.

Cancer patients are being completely let down. We are a modern country, we have got treatments that can cure people and we are just not treating people on time. Cancer is increasing by 2% a year - if we are not coping now, how on earth are we going to cope in the future?

It’s time to realise the immense potential of radiotherapy by harnessing proven technical advances and innovation to improve patient outcomes. Let us prioritise this cost-effective and curative treatment, where a modest investment could yield a huge leap in progress. If we do this, the world will watch, and we will all be empowered.

In this worrying time, our hearts go out to the King and his family. The outpouring of well-wishes from millions of people reflects the collective concern we all share. The King's openness about his battle with cancer is a powerful reminder that one in two of us may face cancer at some point in our lives.

Professor Price was interviewed for her expertise as a clinical oncologist to discuss the King's cancer diagnosis.

Let this be the end of accepting the unacceptable when it comes to cancer.We're calling on all (political) parties to acknowledge the cancer crisis and commit to delivering a plan to tackle it.

The harsh truth is that cancer services that were already struggling pre-pandemic have failed to recover.

We're missing targets yet again.

The dangerous reality is that cancer care in this country is fast becoming a monumental crisis and there appears to be no realistic plan. A cancer plan is not just a strategy, it is a lifeline for the one in two of us that will get cancer.

We need to address the cancer workforce crisis, deliver treatments on time and stop the situation that sees us lagging behind on cancer technologies in key areas, like radiotherapy.

A cancer plan is not just a strategy, it is a lifeline for the one in two of us that will get cancer.

Thousands of people are dying unnecessarily.

Surely now, when we are so consistently at or near record poor waiting times, this should be a clarion call for the Government to take decisive action and expand treatment capacity in areas like radiotherapy. With every four-week delay, the risk of death can climb by 10 per cent, further contributing to the devastating loss of 2 million life years to cancer each year.

Measuring the burden of cancer and how it really affects us individually and as a society should be the wake up call to put cancer right back at the top of the Government and Treasury's agenda. For every four week delay in treatment there can be a 10 per cent increase in risk of death. We need action to back these solutions, with investment in kit and people, to reduce the staggering number of life years lost to this devastating disease.

Today’s figures reveal that nearly 40 per cent of cancer patients are missing their life-saving cancer treatment: this is over double the Government’s own target.

We are still massively short in hitting the Government’s target of no more than 85% of cancer patients waiting more than 62 days between urgent GP referral and their first treatment.

We are still massively short in hitting the Government's target of no more than 85% of cancer patients waiting more than 62 days between urgent GP referral and their first treatment. Today's figures reveal that nearly 40% of cancer patients are missing their life-saving cancer treatment: this is over double the Government's own target. This is a tragedy that cannot continue.

The Faster Diagnosis Standard is set at only 75%. This needs to be much higher, at around 95%, if we are to get patients through the cancer pathway on time.

While great for reassuring patients without cancer, this may not help patients with cancer start their treatment in time.

The only measure that will ‘move the dial’ is the development and implementation of a radical new plan backed up with smart investment in people and kit.

Our analysis shows that chaos and bureaucracy are strangling one of our most important weapons in the fight against record cancer waiting times.

It beggars belief that over two-thirds of local health bodies have no one in charge of radiotherapy, the second most curative cancer treatment, and most cost-effective backlog-busting solution we have.

The clear and simple truth is that we are not investing enough in cancer treatment capacity.

The clear and simple truth is that we are not investing enough in cancer treatment capacity and getting the whole cancer pathway working.

Simply changing targets won't cure patients, we need to treat them faster and quicker.

We've normalised failure. We seem to accept that patients aren't being treated on time.

The clear and simple truth is that we are not investing enough in cancer treatment capacity and getting the whole cancer pathway working.

These figures confirm that cancer treatment performance remains around record low levels and that deadly delays remain baked into cancer treatment. The Government need to break this drumbeat of monthly and quarterly failure and take decisive action to boost treatment capacity.

These figures confirm that cancer treatment performance remains around record low levels and that deadly delays remain baked into cancer treatment with over four in 10 cancer patients waiting far too long.

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Every 4 week delay starting treatment can increase risk of death by 10%.