National Cancer Plan

Today is World Cancer Day. In the UK, almost 3.5 million people are currently living with cancer, with a new case diagnosed at least every 90 seconds. The good news is that nearly 50% of people survive cancer for ten years or more. However, around 460 people die from cancer every day and the stark truth is that nearly 40% of cancer cases are preventable, caused by a range of factors, including alcohol and unhealthy food.

Welcoming the Government’s National Cancer Plan, Greg Fell, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said:

“Any plan to improve health has to do two things – help people who are sick now and prevent people from getting sick in the future. Today’s National Cancer Plan goes a long way to address both of these, and we are particularly pleased to see an emphasis on tackling the unacceptable difference in outcomes that people from different backgrounds and areas currently experience.

“We all know that early diagnosis is key to surviving cancer and screening plays a huge role in that – for certain cancer types. However, as with all public health initiatives, to be truly effective, it needs to be based on evidence and then resourced properly. Similarly, immunisations and vaccinations are vital to prevention, but it is crucial that any new campaign reaches everyone who is eligible – and that will require working with teams from local government as well as the NHS, and the wider community.

“In addition, we must make sure that longer-term measures that we know will help prevent cancers resulting from consumption of unhealthy products like tobacco, alcohol and food high in fat, salt or sugar, are introduced at pace.

“The Government has made significant progress on some of these things – like the Tobacco & Vapes Bill and the introduction of advertising restrictions on junk food. However, there is much more to be done and while, for example, introducing alcohol labelling is a definite step in the right direction, measures that reduce the affordability, accessibility and appeal of these harmful products – those that mirror the things we know worked to reduce tobacco harm – are what will really shift the dial in reducing the number of people living with, and dying from – cancer.”