The breakdown: understanding the numbers
Today we have released a new video showing why this country’s cancer crisis is so serious.
Timely treatment is often the difference between life and death for cancer patients.
The graph (pictured below) shows the percentage of cancer patients who begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral—a window that includes both diagnosis and the start of treatment. The government’s benchmark, set at 85%, is marked by a straight blue dotted line. It has not been met since 2015.
The red line, which tracks patients referred by general practitioners – the most common route – has been in decline since 2015.
A broader metric, introduced in 2023 and shown in yellow, includes all referral pathways. It performs slightly better but still falls short. Research indicates that every four-week delay in treatment can raise the risk of death by 10% for certain cancers.
Right now, nearly one in three cancer patients are waiting too long for their treatment.