'My cancer spread while I waited months for surgery': The cost of England's cancer wait times — SkimNews
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- Alan, 70, waited nearly five months for lung cancer surgery meant to happen within weeks; scans were cancelled twice because machines broke, and by the operation the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.
- NHS England data shows 69.9% of patients now start cancer treatment within the 62-day target, down from 71.9%, after the government set an 80% goal for March 2027.
- Prof Pat Price, a leading UK clinical academic oncologist, says the targets are "simply impossible to hit" due to a "complete loss of momentum" and "complete lack of a plan or accountability."
- Radiotherapy UK analysis shared with the BBC estimates more than 3,000 extra patients would need to start treatment every month — a near 15% increase — to hit the March 2027 target, with roughly 54,000 more needing treatment within 62 days before 2029.
- Each month of waiting before treatment cuts a cancer patient's survival chances by approximately 10%, according to the source.
- Salisbury District Hospital has made visible progress largely through skin and prostate cancers, but pathology head Lee Phillips says volume is overwhelming his lab, and the trust has no radiotherapy machine on site, forcing daily patients to travel up to an hour.
- Steve Haines of Macmillan Cancer Support said visible progress is needed on the promised National Cancer Board, which still has no announced leader; the Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged "there is more to do."
Why it matters: England's cancer treatment performance has moved in the wrong direction since the government set its March 2027 target, with the 62-day treatment rate falling from 71.9% to 69.9%. With roughly 54,000 additional patients needing timely treatment before 2029 and each month of delay cutting survival by about 10%, the gap between stated ambition and operational delivery is widening rather than closing.
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