Cancer diagnosis has reached record levels but thousands still face “unacceptable” treatment delays.
Three in five are now being told they have the disease early when it is easier to treat.
But latest figures reveal patients remain at the mercy of a postcode lottery with thousands waiting longer than 62-days to start therapy.
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Catching cancer at an early stage saves lives. Despite this, people across the country still face unacceptable delays for vital care.”
The NHS cancer “operational standard” states 85% of patients will receive their first treatment within 62 days of an urgent suspected cancer referral. It applies to anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, including those where the disease has returned.
But figures for October, the latest available, show just 19,564 patients were seen within the two-month timeframe and 9,140 waited longer. It means a performance rate of 68.2% with the target last hit in 2015.
The figures reveal the true scale of an ongoing diagnosis and treatment crisis affecting patients depending on where they live.
Separately, 222,888 patients were told they had cancer, or it had been ruled out, within the four-week (28-day) wait from urgent referral representing a performance of 77.1% in October against an operational standard of 75%. Some 66,147 fell outside the target.
And figures for the same month show 54,627 patients were seen within one month (31 days) from a decision to treat to receiving their first therapy, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which represents a performance of 91.5% against a target of 96%. Some 5,067 fell outside this operational standard.
Just six months ago damning analysis by Macmillan Cancer Support revealed UK cancer survival rates lagged 25-years behind other countries.
The parlous state of diagnosis, treatment and care showed Britain had only just matched levels achieved by Sweden, Norway and Denmark at the turn of the century.
It was the most serious denunciation of an emergency years in the making, prompting more than 50 cancer charities under the One Cancer Voice coalition to demand an action plan to end the cancer catastrophe with a nationwide strategy to “turn the crisis around”.
Macmillan chief executive Gemma Peters said: “Behind the shocking data are thousands of people whose entire worlds have been turned upside down. It’s clear cancer care is at breaking point but this is a political choice and better is possible. We urgently need a long-term strategy that revolutionises cancer care.”
Lord Ara Darzi’s independent probe into the state of the NHS, which concluded in September, found it was in a “critical condition” as he identified serious and widespread problems in patients accessing services.
He said: “We want to deliver high quality care for all but far too many people are waiting for too long and in too many clinical areas, quality of care has gone backwards.
“My colleagues in the NHS are working harder than ever but our productivity has fallen.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said patients had “every right to be angry”.
The NHS has embarked on a drive to encourage millions to come forward for potentially life-saving checks, particularly those who may be at higher risk as a result of hereditary or lifestyle factors.
It says there has been an improvement in the diagnosis of 13 of the most common cancers, bladder, breast, colorectum, kidney, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, oesophagus, ovary, pancreas, prostate, stomach and uterus, which together account for 75% of all malignant tumours.
Data shows 120,958 of the 206,038 cancers diagnosed between September 2023 and August 2024 were identified at stages one or two, which corresponds to an estimated additional 7,000 on pre-pandemic levels.
Initiatives rolled out to help catch the disease early include lung and liver screening which sees mobile scanning trucks at shopping centres and supermarkets.
Data shows more than 5,000 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier as a result of the drive since it was launched in 2019.
And analysis suggests more people than ever were tested for cancer over the past year.
Some 3,071,055 were seen for urgent cancer checks between November 2023 and October 2024, up by 100,000 on the same period the year before, and by 700,000 on the same period five years ago.
Dame Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for NHS England, said: “Lives are saved when cancers are caught early – and following a major drive on early detection in recent years, it’s really encouraging to see more people than ever are now being diagnosed at an earlier stage.
“There is still much more to do to save more lives and we will not let up in our efforts to catch more cancers earlier, where treatment is more likely to be successful. NHS teams across the country are continuing to take tests and checks closer to people who need them, and with new treatments being made available all the time, we will continue to do all we can to get people seen and treated for cancer as early as possible.”
Mrs Mitchell added: “To deliver the world-class care that cancer patients deserve, the Government must make cancer a priority in their 10-year health plan and publish a long-term, fully funded National Cancer Plan for England. Backing research and increasing investment in staff and equipment, alongside reform, will help to transform cancer services for the better.”