England, UK (BBN)-The British government has given more details of a package of measures to improve cancer treatment in England.
It includes a target that 95 per cent of people should be given a cancer diagnosis or the all-clear within 28 days of being referred by a GP, by 2020. Implementing it will cost £300m a year until then, reports BBC.
Faster diagnosis could save up to 11,000 lives a year, according to an Independent Cancer Taskforce report.
The health secretary said the measure was a "simple promise".
Jeremy Hunt said the UK lagged behind other western European countries in cancer survival rates and the new measures would help "close the gap".
"We know that the biggest single factor that means that our cancer survival rates lag those of France, Germany and other European countries is the fact that we have too much late diagnosis; we don't get an answer to people quickly enough," he said.
"And what we're saying here is a very simple promise to all NHS patients by 2020 that if your GP has a concern that you may have cancer, we will get you an answer - either a cancer diagnosis or an all-clear within 28 days - that will be one of the fastest diagnosis rates anywhere in the world."
Speeding up diagnosis would require more cancer consultants, specialist nurses, staff trained in endoscopies and diagnostic tests, he added.
Currently 280,000 people in England are diagnosed with cancer each year - with half surviving for at least 10 years.
Patients are meant to see a specialist within two weeks of a GP referral under existing targets but may then face a long wait for test results, meaning a growing number of patients do not get their treatment started within the recommended 62 days.
Cancer patients will also get online access to their test results if they choose, under the new measures.
AMBITION
Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK and chairman of the Independent Cancer Taskforce, said services for diagnosing cancer were under immense pressure, which is why increased investment and extra staff were so important.
"Introducing the 28-day ambition for patients to receive a diagnosis will maximise the impact of this investment which, together with making results available online, will spare people unnecessary added anxiety and help cancer patients to begin treatment sooner," he said.
The announcement comes after a cross-party group of MPs warned that cancer services had "lost momentum" in the past two years.
The health service has been struggling to meet waiting times and seen resources reduced, the Public Accounts Committee warned.
Juliet Bouverie of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "We desperately need to see continued action from the government and the NHS to ensure that all the recommendations laid out in the recently published Cancer Strategy for England are fully funded and implemented."
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