By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-28 23:11:45 | Updated at 2026-09-29 03:11:15
4 hours ago
Britain risks an irreversible cancer epidemic unless the Government makes its cancer treatment promises legally binding, leading specialists have warned.
Three senior cancer experts are demanding a new law to stop ministers moving the goalposts after more than a decade of missed NHS treatment targets, which they warn are contributing to patients dying unnecessarily.
Professor Mark Lawler, of Queen's University Belfast, warned of an "impending cancer epidemic from which we may never recover" unless radical action is taken.
Writing in the prestigious Lancet Oncology, the experts demand that the Government's cancer treatment commitments be backed by law, with clear accountability when targets are missed.
Their intervention follows an embarrassing Government correction to its flagship National Cancer Plan, which overstated by tenfold the number of patients expected to benefit from a £70million investment in radiotherapy machines.
The experts want MPs to use the Health Bill to introduce enforceable obligations rather than allowing successive governments to announce targets they repeatedly fail to meet.
The warning comes amid a continuing crisis in England's cancer services.
Cancer Research UK estimates around 51,500 patients waited longer than the recommended 62 days to begin treatment in the first six months of 2026 alone.
Cancer Research UK estimates around 51,500 patients waited longer than the recommended 62 days to begin treatment
The NHS has not met its national 62-day cancer treatment target since December 2015.
Latest figures show just 71.2 per cent of patients began treatment within two months of an urgent referral in July, against the 85 per cent target.
The Government's National Cancer Plan, published in February, promises to end years of missed targets, with every NHS trust expected to reach 80 per cent by March 2027 and the national 85 per cent standard restored by March 2029.
But the three professors warn that without legal consequences for failure, there is little to prevent those promises being broken.
Professor Pat Price, of Imperial College London and chair of Radiotherapy UK, said: "Cancer care needs real authority to deliver the right change and a clear line of accountability if we are going to turn this crisis around."
She highlighted the Government's recent correction to its Cancer Plan as evidence of the dangers of inadequate scrutiny.
The original document claimed £70million spent on 28 new radiotherapy machines would allow an additional 27,500 patients to receive treatment annually.
But on September 15, ministers amended the figure to 27,500 additional treatments - a crucial distinction because individual patients usually require 5 - 25 radiotherapy sessions.
It means the number of additional patients benefiting could be almost ten times smaller than originally claimed and translate into just a few thousand extra patients receiving care each year.
The Department of Health and Social Care has formally acknowledged the mistake in a parliamentary answer and apologised
The Department of Health and Social Care has formally acknowledged the mistake in a parliamentary answer and apologised.
Prof Price said: "The correction to the Cancer Plan shows exactly why conflating patients with treatments is not a trivial mistake; it can dramatically overstate how many people new treatments will help and lead to dangerous underinvestment.
She added: "Ensuring cancer patients get their treatment on time needs to be a priority, and that is why we are calling for accountability to be enshrined in legislation."
Radiotherapy is needed by around half of cancer patients and contributes to approximately 40 per cent of cancer cures.
Yet experts warn it has the longest waits against the 62-day standard of the three main cancer treatment types.
Despite publication of the new Cancer Plan, July's performance of 71.2 per cent was below the 71.9 per cent recorded in December 2025, shortly before its launch.
Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen's University Belfast and senior author of the Lancet Oncology paper, warned ministers must fundamentally change their approach.
He said: "Once again the data does not lie. We are getting worse rather than better and frankly there is no way we are going to achieve the targets that have been set unless we change radically. Ambition is all very well but we need to deliver, and we need to deliver now. We won't wait. Patients can't wait. But currently there are no consequences if targets are not reached.
"This is why we are calling for legal accountability. It works well in Denmark, which shows the greatest improvement in cancer outcomes in Europe, while the UK flounders. It can work here, but only if we have the courage to make this decision to embed a legal right for cancer patients. It's the only way we see to avoid an impending cancer epidemic from which we may never recover."
The intervention, co-authored by Professor Richard Sullivan, comes as ministers establish a reformed National Cancer Board to scrutinise progress against more than 100 commitments in the Government's plan.
But the experts warn that another watchdog is not enough. They want clear legal duties to ensure cancer patients get the treatment they need on time.
The Government has promised that three-quarters of people diagnosed with cancer in England will survive at least five years by 2035.
The Department of Health and Social Care has acknowledged that patients are waiting longer than they should and says its Cancer Plan will restore waiting-time standards by 2029 through expanded diagnostic capacity, improved treatment pathways and additional support for struggling NHS trusts.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "It is right the government is held to account on the ambitious goals of our National Cancer Plan. Just last week, we announced the National Cancer Board, which will scrutinise progress against more than 100 commitments in the plan and advise ministers where further action is needed.
"We have already made good progress on the goals of the plan, with around 250,000 more people getting diagnosed on time or having cancer ruled out over the last year compared with the year before the election. The latest data on cancer waiting times shows year-on-year improvement against all three standards and we remain committed to meeting all three by March 2029.
"Alongside investing in new radiotherapy machines, we are delivering on our commitments by expanding community diagnostic centres, increasing access to screening and delivering record numbers of tests to help patients get diagnosed and treated sooner."
