Over the past few years, there has been extreme pressure on NHS cancer services in England. The use of cancer waiting times shows whether the NHS is meeting its targets for diagnosing and treating cancer quickly. These targets also help show the extent of the pressure on the NHS in England.

When cancer is diagnosed quickly and treatment started early, this saves people from the stress and anxiety of having to wait for results. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, when the cancer hasn’t grown too big and hasn’t spread, treatment is more likely to be successful. Prompt diagnosis and treatment underpin this.

An article from Cancer Research UK explains the current three key cancer waiting time standards and targets that indicate how well NHS cancer services are doing in England:

  • The faster diagnosis standard: 75% of people have cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days of an urgent referral.
  • The 62-day referral to treatment standard: 85% of people receive their diagnosis and start treatment within 2 months (62 days) of an urgent referral.
  • The 31-day decision to treat standard: 96% of patients start treatment within 1 month (31 days) of doctors deciding on a treatment plan.

Read more in the Cancer Research UK press release here (including a video to explain the key cancer waiting time standards).