Long waits to start cancer treatment have almost tripled in the last five years, analysis reveals. The proportion of patients facing delays of at least 104 days increased from around four percent in 2017 to 12 percent in 2022 – when more than 20,000 were affected.
And an NHS target for 85 percent to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral for suspected cancer has not been met since 2015.
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) crunched the numbers with the National Disease Registration Service.
Its report found that people in their sixties, those living in deprived areas or with multiple long-term health conditions were most likely to be affected.
The charity is calling for more investigation to understand why the percentage of sufferers facing lengthy waits has increased so dramatically.
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Michelle Mitchell, CRUK’s chief executive, said: “NHS staff are doing their best, but these figures are concerning.
“It’s positive that more patients are being treated than ever, and people are finding out if they have cancer or not faster.
“However, too many patients are still waiting too long to begin cancer treatment, and this report highlights how far there still is to go.”
For patients who faced delays of over 104 days, delays were most likely to occur while they were waiting for a diagnosis.
The NHS is treating more cancer patients than ever before. It delivered 55,000 cancer treatments in May – with more than nine in ten happening within one month and more people seen after a GP referral than any other month on record (270,583.)
However, shortages of staff and equipment are thought to be impacting waiting times.
Lower gastrointestinal cancers, such as bowel and anal, and urological cancers, such as prostate and kidney, accounted for more than half of long waiters, the report found.
It said this was likely due to shortages of specific diagnostic equipment and the complexity of decision making and treatment planning required.
Patients with breast and skin cancer were least likely to experience delays, but numbers still rose in those groups.
Dr John Butler, an ovarian cancer surgeon and clinical advisor for CRUK, said capacity in the NHS was the limiting factor.
He added: “Every day, cancer surgeons across the UK are seeing patients who have had to wait longer than they should to be diagnosed and treated.
“Our health service’s ability to diagnose and treat cancer patients is limited and the resources and staffing have simply not increased to meet the need.
“This problem with capacity – not having enough beds, equipment or staff – started before the pandemic, and it could get worse.
“The UK’s ageing and growing population means that by 2040, there could be around half a million new cancer cases diagnosed every year. Unless we urgently start planning for this, the NHS won’t be prepared to cope.”
CRUK is urging the new Government to commit to developing a long-term cancer strategy in its first 100 days, with the aim of bringing down waiting times, boosting research and improving efforts to prevent the disease.
Ms Mitchell added: “The newly elected Labour Government has a huge opportunity to turn things around.
“A long-term cancer strategy is needed to deliver on their commitment to bring cancer waiting times down, by providing our NHS with the equipment and staff it desperately needs to diagnose and treat patients on time.
“Throughout the 2000s NHS waits were massively reduced through investment, reform and decisive leadership – and the same can be achieved again.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Too many cancer patients are waiting too long for treatment. We are determined to change that.
“That’s why our mission to get the NHS back on its feet includes taking measures such as doubling the number of MRI and CT scanners to help speed up diagnosis and treatment.
“Alongside this, we have commissioned an independent investigation, led by Professor Lord Darzi, into the extent of the issues the NHS faces.”
An NHS England spokesperson said: “While we know there is more to do to bring down unacceptably long waits for patients, staff are working hard to see and treat more people with cancer than ever before.
“The NHS also met the 28-day cancer faster diagnosis target in May with more than three quarters of people receiving a definitive diagnosis or all clear within four weeks.
“While this is encouraging, we recognise more work is needed to tackle the challenges faced by cancer services and ensure all patients receive high-quality and timely care.”