The wait times for cancer treatment in England have significantly increased, with figures revealing an almost threefold rise in patients enduring long delays.
Cancer Research UK, in an exclusive analysis for the Guardian, reports a dramatic increase in patients waiting over 104 days for urgent cancer treatments—from approximately 6,000 in 2016 to 22,000 in the previous year.
In 2024, over 11% of patients experienced waits longer than 104 days, a stark increase from 4.4% in 2016.
Recent data from NHS England indicates a marginal improvement in timely treatment, with 66.4% of patients treated within 62 days of urgent referral as of December, slightly up from 64.5% in November.
However, the NHS has consistently missed its target of treating 85% of cancer patients within 62 days since December 2015.
Cancer Research UK highlights that the last time the NHS reliably met the two-month treatment target was in 2013. The charity notes that in 2024 alone, 74,000 patients waited longer than the 62-day benchmark to begin treatment.
Criticism comes from Once Cancer Voice, a coalition of leading UK cancer charities, which argues that the slow progress in treatment times is unacceptable.
Despite the relaunch of the government’s cancer plan in February, experts and charities warn that without additional funding, the plan is doomed to fail.
Michelle Mitchell, CEO of Cancer Research UK and representative for One Cancer Voice, stresses the importance of investment in staff and equipment to meet cancer waiting time targets by the end of this parliament.
While there are signs of improvement in NHS cancer care, such as 78.1% of people receiving a definitive diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of referral, Prof Pat Price of Radiotherapy UK warns against complacency.
He emphasizes the critical risks associated with delayed treatment, noting that every four-week delay can increase the mortality risk by 10% for some cancers.
The NHS is also facing challenges with record numbers of patients waiting over 12 hours in emergency departments and unprecedented delays in discharging patients who are fit to leave hospital.
Despite these issues, Prof Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, acknowledges the challenges but points to improvements in diagnosis and treatment speeds, as well as the doubling of suspected cancer referrals over the past decade.
He assures continued efforts to enhance access to cancer care, including a new target to increase the number of patients diagnosed or cleared within four weeks by about 100,000 next year.
