Only half of cancer patients diagnosed on time as England shows wide regional waits

New data published this week show that only about half of people with cancer in England are being diagnosed within the NHS target window, and that waits to start treatment after an urgent referral vary sharply between local health areas.

Figures from NHS England and fresh analysis by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) reveal that the faster diagnostic standard — which aims to diagnose or rule out cancer within 28 days of an urgent referral — is being met much more often for people who do not have cancer than for those who do. Between October 2021 and June 2024, CRUK found 53.8 percent of people who were later found to have cancer received a diagnosis within 28 days, compared with 71.7 percent of people who had cancer ruled out.

NHS England’s monthly figures for July showed a slight national improvement in one measure: a record 236,263 patients received a diagnosis or had cancer ruled out within 28 days. However, of three national cancer targets only that one was met. Nationally, 92.4 percent of patients started treatment within 31 days of being booked in June, below the 96 percent standard, and just 69.2 percent of newly diagnosed patients referred for urgent treatment were seen within 62 days, short of the 85 percent target.

Local variation was pronounced. NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) reported that only 49.4 percent of patients began treatment within 62 days in July. Equally low figures were recorded in NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (55.2 percent), NHS South East London (55.2 percent) and NHS Norfolk and Waveney (55.2 percent). By contrast, NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly recorded the highest proportion of urgent referrals seen within two months at 80.7 percent; NHS Surrey Heartlands and NHS Gloucestershire reported 79 percent and 78 percent respectively.

The CRUK analysis also examined diagnostic timeliness by cancer site and found particularly long waits for some cancers. Only 29 percent of patients with urological cancers, including prostate and kidney cancers, were diagnosed within 28 days, and 54.6 percent of those patients waited more than 42 days for a diagnosis. Sarcomas were diagnosed within 28 days for 31.4 percent of patients and head and neck cancers for 34.6 percent. Across the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway, about 6 percent of referrals ultimately result in a cancer diagnosis.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said the diagnostic delays were unacceptable and called on the government to act. "Waiting for a cancer diagnosis can make every single day feel like forever," she said, noting that it was positive more people were having cancer ruled out on time but stressing that outcomes for people with cancer remained poor against the target.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the government’s forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England would set out commitments to diagnose cancers earlier and meet all cancer wait time targets by the end of the current Parliament. He said this would require investment in specialist staff and equipment alongside reform. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said cancer care was an urgent priority and pointed to what it called progress under its Plan for Change, saying 148,000 more people had cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days between July 2024 and June 2025 compared with the previous year.

Doctors and cancer charities have repeatedly warned that delays in diagnosis and treatment can allow tumours to grow and spread, potentially making curative treatment harder and more costly. Early diagnosis is associated with less intensive treatment and better survival outcomes.

The latest figures show a downward trend in the proportion of people with cancer being diagnosed within the 28‑day window compared with the end of 2021. CRUK reported that 57.3 percent of diagnoses were given within 28 days in the last three months of 2021, falling to 52.3 percent by mid‑2024. The charity urged the government to include a clear commitment to meet the faster diagnostic standard and other waiting‑time targets in the National Cancer Plan.

NHS leaders have said tackling regional disparities will require targeted investment, increased workforce capacity, and equipment such as scanners and endoscopy services. The government and health service face competing pressures to reduce backlogs across many areas of care while meeting ambitious cancer‑specific performance standards.

The newly published regional data are intended to increase transparency about local performance and to inform planning as the government and NHS prepare to implement the National Cancer Plan. Ministers and cancer charities both said the figures underline the need for sustained action to speed up diagnosis and ensure more patients start treatment within target timeframes.