The proportion of patients being diagnosed with cancer at an early stage in England has risen to its highest ever level, according to new NHS analysis.
Latest data on 13 of the most common cancers, such as breast, prostate and lung cancer, shows that nearly three in five patients are now being diagnosed at stages one or two, when the cancer is easier to treat.
The increased number of cancers being caught earlier follows a major drive by the NHS over the last two years to encourage millions of people to come forward for potentially life-saving checks, especially those who may be at higher risk as a result of hereditary or lifestyle factors.
Rapid cancer registration data shows that 120,958 of the 206,038 common cancers (58.7%) diagnosed between September 2023 and August 2024 were identified at an early stage – an improvement of 2.7 percentage points on pre-pandemic levels, corresponding to an estimated additional 7,000 patients diagnosed at an early stage.
Among the initiatives rolled out by the NHS to help catch more cancers earlier are its innovative NHS Lung Health Check (Targeted Lung Health Check Programme (TLHC)) and Liver Health Programmes. They see hi-tech mobile scanning trucks and vans go into the heart of communities to offer in-depth checks to people at shopping centres, sports stadiums, food banks and supermarket car parks.
Data shows more than 5,000 people have been diagnosed with lung cancer earlier via the TLHC programme, since it was launched in 2019.
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.”
