The NHS is making significant progress in diagnosing cancer at its early stages, NHS England said today.
More than 100,000 patients received diagnoses at stages one or two in the last financial year (ending in March), it reported.
The news follows concern that the pandemic led to many patients not having disease identified until a late stage – with referrals falling by 370,000 during 2020-21.
NHS England said that 100,000 was the largest proportion of early diagnoses on record. This was aided by an increase in referrals of more than 470,000.
This means that nearly a quarter of GP referrals are now for suspected cancer. New “one stop” centres have now delivered more than two million checks and tests, according to NHS England.
A new campaign, launched today, will now focus on public awareness of abdominal and urological cancers.
National cancer director Dame Cally Palmer said: “We know fewer people came forward for cancer checks in the early stages of the pandemic, but thanks to the hard work of staff, we have now identified and caught up on those missing referrals, while more people are being diagnosed at an early stage than ever before – giving patients and their families the best chance of a successful outcome.”
The national clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson added: “Lives are saved when cancers are caught early and when more people are referred for tests, which is why the NHS has put so much effort into early diagnosis in recent years – and thanks to NHS staff we are making progress on our commitment to catch cancers earlier, when they are easier to treat.”
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