As the NHS looks to start the new year on the front foot, new analysis shows last year was a record-breaking one for cancer checks.
In the 12 months from November 2022 to October 2023, nearly three million (2,980,258) people were checked for cancer, which is the highest year on record.
This is an increase of almost 150,000 (147,960) from the same period in the previous year, with analysis showing there has been a 133% jump over the last decade.
October 2023 alone was also a record-breaker as just under 270,000 (269,492) urgent cancer referrals were delivered – the highest month ever.
This all came in the midst of several cancer awareness campaigns, which included messaging on urinal mats in pubs and football stadiums, as well as in underwear at supermarkets.
A double-decker bus also travelled around England’s cancer hotpots encouraging people to get checked.
This helped drive forward the health service’s ambition to diagnose three-quarters of cancers at stage one or two.
For the first time, rapid registration data shows that, between September 2022 and August 2023, nearly three in five (58%) cancers were diagnosed at the earliest stages. This is 2.1 percentage points higher than the pre-pandemic level.
National cancer director at NHS England, Dame Cally Palmer, commented: “More people than ever before have received potentially lifesaving checks for cancer over the last year, which is a testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have delivered this level of care, despite an extremely challenging year and unprecedented industrial action.”
She continued: “We know there is more to do, but we have been throwing everything we have at catching cancers earlier because we know it’s the best way to save lives – and we are seeing progress with more people than ever before being diagnosed at stage one and two.”
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