The Government says it has tonight declared a "war on cancer" as it unveils what it claims are ambitious plans to make the country's cancer care system the "best in Europe" within 10 years.
Cancer is still the biggest cause of death from disease in the UK and Covid placed an extra strain on an NHS already crippled by years of underfunding under Tory rule.
In a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care tonight, a spokesperson said Health Secretary Sajid Javid will today “declare a war on cancer” and launch a "call for evidence to underpin" what he will call a '10-Year Cancer Plan' for England.
Speaking at the Francis Crick Institute, Mr Javid will lay out what he will claim are plans to make England a world-leader in cancer care as the country shifts to living with Covid and the NHS looks to tackle the treatment backlog.
The government says major strides have been made in the last 15 years.
In its statement tonight, the Department of Health said the one-year cancer survival rate had increased more than 10 per cent and, for patients diagnosed in 2015, their survival rate was 72 per cent after one year.
Mr Javid has now pedged renewed attention to innovative treatment and early diagnosis to radically improve outcomes for cancer patients.
The Health and Social Care Secretary will say: “Let this be the day where we declare a national war on cancer.
"We have published the call for evidence for a new 10 Year Cancer Plan for England, a searching new vision for how we will lead the world in cancer care.
“This Plan will show how we are learning the lessons from the pandemic, and apply them to improving cancer services over the next decade.
“It will take a far-reaching look at how we want cancer care to be in 2032 – ten years from now. Looking at all stages, from prevention to diagnosis, to treatment and vaccines.
“We want to hear views from far and wide to help us shape this work. Please join us in this effort, so fewer people face the heartache of losing a loved one to this wretched disease.”
The Covid pandemic had a huge impact, with nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK between March 2020 and November 2021 - and 34,000 in just England.
But tonight the Department of Health said NHS staff had maintained cancer treatment at 94 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and 95 per cent of people starting treatment did so within a month
The Health Secretary is expected to lay out a set of new priorities, which include increasing the number of people diagnosed at an early stage.
Other plans outlined in the Government's statement tonight include boosting the cancer workforce, tackling disparities and inequalities - including in cancer diagnosis times - and ensuring recovery from the pandemic is delivered in a fair way.
Minister for Primary Care Maria Caulfield, said: “Half of us will have cancer at some point in our lives, and many more will have to support someone close to them who has it.
“We want to have the best cancer care in Europe and this call to evidence will help us develop a plan to achieve this. We want to hear from you – cancer patients, relatives and NHS staff – to see how we can best move forward to deliver better care and treatment.”
Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for the NHS, said: “The NHS is committed to saving more lives from cancer by finding more cases at an earlier stage when they are easier to treat in line with our ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan – it is this action that will ultimately help us to save thousands of lives sadly lost to cancer every year.
“Despite the pandemic and thanks to the huge efforts of our staff, cancer services have remained a priority with well over two million checks in the last year alone and tens of thousands of people starting lifesaving treatment every month.
“From one-stop shops for vital checks and revolutionary treatment options like proton beam therapy – we will continue to go further and faster in our mission to save more lives and ensure England is world-leading in cancer care.”
