Cancer patients to benefit | News and events

Cancer patients in the East of England will receive faster diagnosis, quicker treatment and support to live well with cancer under the National Cancer Plan, published today.  

Each year, there are around 40,000 cancer diagnoses in the East of England. For the first time, the NHS will commit to ensuring three in four people diagnosed with cancer from 2035 onwards are cancer-free or living well after five years – translating to 320,000 more lives saved in England over the plan’s lifetime.  

The National Cancer Plan outlines an expansion of robot-assisted surgery – which has already been bringing benefits to cancer patients in the East of England – along with faster diagnostics to reduce delays and, a commitment to meet all cancer waiting time standards by 2029.

Major reforms across the NHS include:

• Robot-assisted surgery: From hip replacements to heart surgery and cancer operations, the number of robot-assisted procedures in England will increase from 70,000 to half a million by 2035, reducing complications and freeing up hospital beds.
• Faster diagnostics: A £2.3 billion investment will deliver 9.5 million additional tests across the country by 2029, investing in more scanners, digital technology and automated testing. Where possible, Community Diagnostic Centres will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week, bringing testing closer to where people live. 
• Treatment at specialist centres: More patients with rarer cancers will have their care reviewed and treated at specialist cancer centres, where they can benefit from the expertise of the best cancer doctors. These centres bring together surgeons, oncologists, specialist nurses and radiologists to agree the best treatment plan for each case.  
• Genomic testing: Every patient who could benefit will be offered a test that analyses the DNA of their cancer. This helps doctors understand exactly the type of cancer someone has, and choose treatments most likely to work.
• Waiting lists: New technology is being developed to give patients better access to tests for cancer by offering them the earliest available appointment from a range of NHS organisations in their local area.

Amanda Pleavin, NHS East of England Cancer Alliance Managing Director, said: “Almost everyone will know someone who has been affected by cancer – a friend, a partner, a parent or a child – and for many people it will be part of their own story too. 

“This plan sets a clear roadmap for the NHS to diagnose more cancers earlier, ensure more patients are treated on time and improve survival, so that more people live longer, healthier lives with or after cancer over the next decade. 

“This is alongside delivering the latest breakthroughs in cancer treatment and care, improving access to pioneering trials and ensuring there is wraparound support for people closer to home.”

An increase in the number of robot-assisted procedures is a key part of the National Cancer Plan – and something patients in the East of England have been benefitting from for some time already.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust has been pioneering same-day robotic prostate cancer surgery, helping to improve patient recovery, and last year introduced same day robotic prostatectomies.

Anthony Baptiste was the Trust's first patient to have his prostate removed and go home on the same day of his surgery – thanks to teams using a surgical robot at Colchester Hospital.

Anthony, 56, was “relieved” to not have to stay in hospital and grateful to start his recovery in the comfort of his own home.

He said: “I’m delighted and grateful for everything that took place. There were some side effects, but after a couple of months, things had gone back to normal.

“I have been remarkably well – sometimes I almost forget the surgery happened. The peace of mind it’s given me is immeasurable.”

Although not suitable for everyone, the day case option supports faster recoveries, less pain, reduced length of hospital stays, an earlier return to normal function and work, and improved patient experience.

In 2023, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge became the first UK hospital to use a Versius robot specifically for thoracic surgery. Its surgical teams have since used it to perform more than 250 minimally invasive procedures.

The use of Versius allows surgeons to make tiny incisions and work precisely inside the chest cavity. Its use at Royal Papworth has led to improved outcomes and recovery times for patients across the East of England; reducing their length of stay in hospital and reducing surgical trauma and post-operative pain. 

The first patient was Serena Newton, who had a lobe of her right lung removed for a benign tumour. Thanks to the minimally invasive approach, she spent only three nights in hospital and returned to work in less than three weeks.

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of robotic surgery being used at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with the Trust also recently doubling its robotic-assisted surgery capacity with the arrival of two new da Vinci surgical robots. The new robotic systems are part of the Trust’s programme to grow its capacity as a leading robotic surgery centre.

Elsewhere in the National Cancer Plan, there are commitments to expand the use of new liquid biopsy blood tests to speed up treatment decisions and digital prehabilitation to help patients prepare for treatment from home.  

This is on top of a series of measures nationally, including £10 million a year to support children's travel costs for cancer care, measures to improve access to specialists in rural and coastal communities, a crackdown on illegal underage sunbed use and improved bowel cancer screening to catch thousands more cases earlier.  

The National Cancer Plan commits to meeting all three national cancer waiting time standards by March 2029, meaning hundreds of thousands more patients across the country will receive timely treatment.  

The government has also announced a new AI pilot to help detect hard-to-reach lung cancers sooner with fewer invasive tests as well as a new employer partnership to support England's 830,000 working-age cancer patients to remain in employment during and after treatment.  

The cancer plan comes as progress on cancer waiting lists continues, diagnosing or ruling out cancer on time for 213,000 extra cases since July last year, and with 170 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) now open across the country – bringing checks, scans and tests closer to where people live.