THERAPY AREA
CANCER IN THE NHS LONG TERM PLAN
The NHS Long Term Plan was published in early January and cancer features highly. It focuses on prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up. The plan includes: • A focus on prevention to help reduce the risk of cancer • Offering all children with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments • A commitment that from September 2019, all boys aged 12 and 13 will be offered vaccination against HPV-related diseases • Raising greater awareness of cancer symptoms, lowering the threshold for GP referral, accelerating access to diagnosis and treatment and maximising the number of cancers identified through screening • Modernising the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme • Reviewing the current cancer screening programmes and diagnostic capacity • Implementing a new timed diagnostic pathway for specific cancers • Overhauling diagnostic services for patients with suspected cancer • Investing in new equipment which can deliver faster and safer tests • Speeding up the path from innovation to business-as-usual, by spreading proven new techniques and technologies and reducing variation • Ensuring safer and more precise treatments including advanced radiotherapy techniques and immunotherapies will continue to support improvements in survival rates • Extending the use of molecular diagnostics and, over the next 10 years, routinely offer genomic testing to all people with cancer for whom it would be of clinical benefit, and expand participation in research.
SOURCES: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/ cancer-statistics/risk#heading-Zero https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/ statistical/cervical-screening-programme/england---2017-18 https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/ fundingacrosspipeline_twit_pic.png?itok=xr5dvEEQ https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-ingeneral/treatment/immunotherapy/types/vaccines-to-treatcancer | https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/hpvhuman-papillomavirus-vaccine/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/hpv-humanpapillomavirus-vaccine/#hpv-vaccination-for-men-and-boys *NHS Long Term Plan https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2019/01/nhs-long-term-plan.pdf
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NHS LONG TERM PLAN CANCER MILESTONES* From 2019, start to roll out new Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country
In 2020, a new faster diagnosis standard for cancer will begin to be introduced so that patients receive a definitive diagnosis or ruling out of cancer within 28 days
2019
2020
2021
By 2022 the lung health check model will be extended
By 2021, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support
2022
2023
By 2028, the NHS will diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2
By 2020, HPV primary screening for cervical cancer will be in place across England
By 2023, stratified, follow-up pathways for people who are worried their cancer may have recurred. These will be in place for all clinically appropriate cancers
2028
With plans, policy and research all coming together to increase cancer survival rates, the future focus really is on tackling cancer.