Javid to launch new 10-year ‘national war on cancer’

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid is declaring ‘a war on cancer’ and launching a call for evidence to underpin an ambitious 10-Year Cancer Plan for England.

In a speech at the Francis Crick Institute, Javid will set out his vision to make England a world-leader in cancer care, with renewed attention paid to innovative treatment and early diagnosis to radically improve outcomes for cancer patients.

In the last 15 years, one-year survival has increased by more than 10 per cent and for patients diagnosed in 2015, their survival rate was 72 per cent after one year. However, there were nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK during the pandemic, including 34,000 in England.

Javid said: “Let this be the day where we declare a national war on cancer. We have published the call for evidence for a new 10 Year Cancer Plan for England, a searching new vision for how we will lead the world in cancer care.

“This Plan will show how we are learning the lessons from the pandemic, and apply them to improving cancer services over the next decade. It will take a far-reaching look at how we want cancer care to be in 2032 – ten years from now. Looking at all stages, from prevention, to diagnosis, to treatment and vaccines. We want to hear views from far and wide to help us shape this work. Please join us in this effort, so fewer people face the heartache of losing a loved one to this wretched disease.”

The NHS Long Term Plan lays out priorities to increase the number of people diagnosed at an early stage, where treatment can prove much more effective, and tackle disparities and inequalities, including in cancer diagnosis times and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way.

Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for the NHS, said: “The NHS is committed to saving more lives from cancer by finding more cases at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat in line with our ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan – it is this action that will ultimately help us to save thousands of lives sadly lost to cancer every year.

“Despite the pandemic and thanks to the huge efforts of our staff, cancer services have remained a priority with well over two million checks in the last year alone and tens of thousands of people starting lifesaving treatment every month. From one stop shops for vital checks and revolutionary treatment options like proton beam therapy – we will continue to go further and faster in our mission to save more lives and ensure England is world leading in cancer care.”