A call for evidence to underpin a decade-long cancer plan for the NHS is being launched.
The move comes just three years after the NHS Long Term Plan was published which contains significant ambitions for cancer care, including increasing the proportion of cancers diagnosed early from a half to three quarters by 2028.
However, health and social care secretary Sajid Javid (pictured) is launching this latest plan as the NHS tackles the Covid-19 backlog.
Between March 2020 and November 2021 there were nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK during the pandemic, including 34,000 in England.
Insurers have also reported notable falls in cancer diagnoses and claims coming from customers.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said a renewed focus would be placed on “innovative cancer treatment and early diagnosis as part of a national war on cancer”.
It will be looking at all stages, from prevention, to diagnosis, to treatment and vaccines.
The updated priorities include:
- increasing the number of people diagnosed at an early stage, where treatment can prove much more effective;
- boosting the cancer workforce;
- tackling disparities and inequalities, including in cancer diagnosis times and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way;
- intensifying research on mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for cancer – this will be achieved through the UK’s global leadership and supporting industry to develop new cancer treatments by combining expertise in cancer immunotherapy treatment and the vaccine capabilities developed throughout the pandemic;
- intensifying research on new early diagnostic tools to catch cancer at an earlier stage;
- improving prevention of cancer through tackling the big known risk factors such as smoking.
The call for evidence will run for eight weeks, after which the government will factor in responses to its new 10-year cancer plan which is expected to be set out in the summer.
