Earlier cancer diagnosis and quicker access to treatment are at the heart of a new government plan aimed at ensuring three quarters of cancer patients in England survive for at least five years by 2035.
Ministers say the strategy, due to be set out this week, is designed to deliver the fastest improvement in cancer outcomes seen this century. At present, five-year survival rates sit at around 60%, according to the most recent data from 2022, leaving the UK trailing behind several comparable countries.
Central to the plan is a renewed commitment to meeting the NHS’s long-missed 62-day target, which measures the time from urgent referral to the start of treatment. The government says it intends to bring waiting times back within target by 2029, more than ten years after the standard was last consistently achieved.
Health leaders argue that diagnosing cancers earlier, particularly at stages one and two, is the single biggest factor in improving survival. The proposals include expanding access to diagnostic tests, speeding up referrals, and making better use of new technology to identify cancer sooner.
However, experts have warned that hitting the target will require substantial additional investment, particularly in staffing. Ongoing shortages of radiologists, pathologists and specialist nurses are already placing strain on cancer services, and critics say progress will stall without a major workforce boost.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has previously spoken about surviving kidney cancer himself, said he was confident the goal could be reached. He pointed to sustained increases in NHS funding, with health spending set to rise by around 3% above inflation in the coming years, alongside rapid advances in medical science.
Streeting said improvements in screening, diagnostics and treatment meant the country had a real opportunity to “transform the life chances” of people diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer charities have broadly welcomed the ambition but stressed that delivery will matter more than targets. They say patients will only feel the impact if shorter waits and earlier diagnoses become the norm across every part of the country, not just on paper.
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