Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary has announced a “war on cancer” as he calls for evidence to support a 10-Year Cancer Plan in England.
In efforts to tackle the NHS backlog for cancer care after the COVID pandemic, the government want to place focus on innovative cancer treatment and early diagnosis.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid 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.”
Despite the NHS managing to maintain the 94 percent target for cancer treatment during the pandemic, there were over 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses in the UK during that time.
Building on the NHS Long Term Plan, Sajid Javid is to set out further targets including:
- 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. For instance, the ‘Help Us Help You’ cancer awareness campaign will be directed towards people from more deprived groups and ethnic minorities
- 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.
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.”
The new call for evidence to expand the understanding of cancer will run for eight weeks and will form part of the 10-Year Cancer Plan which is set to be announced in full in Summer.
