The government has published its National Cancer Plan for England on World Cancer Day, setting out a long-term strategy to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survival outcomes across the NHS.
The 86-page document outlines how England aims to deliver “world-class cancer care” over the next decade, with a central ambition for 75% of people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years or more by 2035.
It addresses the full cancer pathway, from reducing cancer risk through public health measures to improving access to diagnostics, treatment and long-term support.
The plan comes after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a call for evidence to inform the development of the government’s national cancer plan last year.
The plan outlines 30 key actions to be accomplished by 2030.
The actions include things such as publishing cancer manuals, strengthening HPV vaccination models, implementing the tobacco and vapes bill as well as partnering with the pharmaceutical industry to accelerate the uptake of GLP-1 medicines.
"While more people survive cancer than ever before progress has slowed over the last decade and England remains behind other comparable countries with working class communities being failed most of all. This plan will change that," said Ashley Dalton, Parliamentrary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention.
A summary of the key actions in the plan is outlined below:
Prevention and early diagnosis
- Expand prevention initiatives targeting smoking, alcohol, obesity, UV exposure, and air pollution.
- Roll out and improve cancer screening programmes, including lung, bowel, breast, and cervical cancer.
- Increase awareness of cancer symptoms and reduce barriers to seeking care.
Treatment and patient pathways
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Improve access to diagnostics and treatment across hospital and community settings.
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Meet Cancer Waiting Time standards: 28-day diagnosis, 31-day treatment, 62-day urgent referral targets.
- Ensure high-quality care and reduce inequalities in treatment outcomes.
Living with and beyond cancer
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Support patients’ physical and psychosocial needs, including long-term effects of cancer and treatment.
- Provide care closer to home and enhance patient empowerment in treatment decisions.
Research, innovation, and Technology
- Maximise access to clinical trials and innovative treatments, including the NHS cancer vaccine launch pad.
- Accelerate uptake of life-saving technologies and digital tools to improve patient outcomes.
Rarer cancers and children/young people
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Improve outcomes for rare cancers and paediatric patients through research and international collaboration.
- Relaunch the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce in 2025 to focus on improving care for younger patients.
Timeline/implementation (2026–2030)
- 2026: Call for evidence closes, Taskforce relaunched, early-stage planning and pathway design.
- 2027–2028: Rollout of expanded screening programmes, pilot innovative diagnostic tools, community care integration.
- 2029–2030: Nationwide implementation of prevention, treatment, and research initiatives; monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.
Prevention and risk reduction
A key pillar of the plan is a renewed focus on cancer prevention, recognising that a significant proportion of cancers are linked to modifiable risk factors.
The strategy prioritises action on smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity, alongside wider efforts to create healthier environments and reduce exposure to cancer-causing risks.
The plan prioritises lung cancer due to its high mortality, the proven impact of early detection, and its disproportionate effect on disadvantaged communities.
Local authorities are identified as playing a central role in prevention, through their public health responsibilities and their ability to shape local environments and services.
“Councils are ready to support the ambitions of the plan by helping to ensure that new approaches, innovation, technology, and digital tools reach every community, particularly those with the poorest outcomes,” said Dr Wendy Taylor, Chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee.
Using technology for earlier and faster diagnosis
The plan places strong emphasis on earlier diagnosis, with commitments to expand screening, improve access to diagnostics and increase uptake of new technologies.
The plan recommends using AI-driven imaging, risk stratification algorithms, digital symptom checkers, and integrated electronic health records to improve early cancer detection and speed up referrals.
It also supports remote monitoring and at-home testing to expand access to diagnostics.
Improving performance against national cancer waiting time standards is also a core objective, with the plan setting out measures to reduce delays across diagnostic and treatment pathways.
Treatment, workforce and innovation
The plan will expand use of personalised treatments, precision medicine, immunotherapy, and targeted cancer drugs, alongside greater patient access to clinical trials.
It includes training more oncologists, specialist nurses, and diagnostic staff to tackle workforce pressures.
Investments will also increase radiotherapy machines, CT and MRI scanners, and community-based treatment centres across England.
New facilities focused on cancer prevention and detection will support these efforts, such as the £250m cancer centre that Laing O Rouke is expected to deliver by 2027, which will provide space for clinical trials and innovation.
Reducing inequalities and supporting patients
Addressing inequalities in cancer outcomes is a central theme of the strategy.
The plan highlights persistent variation in survival rates linked to deprivation, geography and ethnicity, and commits to targeted action to improve outcomes in underserved communities.
The plan notes that over 33,000 UK cancer cases each year are linked to deprivation, largely preventable through targeted action.
It highlights people in the most deprived areas as a priority for improving prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.
Lung cancer screening is cited as a successful example of reducing inequalities in early detection.
Next steps
The National Cancer Plan sets out a long-term framework for improving cancer outcomes in England.
Cancer Research UK forecasts cancer demand to rise, with half a million new cancer cases each year expected by 2040, making the need for a national plan even more critical.
The delivery is dependent on sustained investment, workforce growth and collaboration between the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector.
Implementation of the plan will be closely monitored as the NHS seeks to improve performance and meet rising demand for cancer services over the coming years.