50,000 lung cancer patients treated late in past 10 years – and it’ s getting worse
Story by Paul Gallagher 5d • 5 min read
The NHS in England aims to begin treatment for 85 per cent of cancer patients within 62 days of an urgent referral( Photo: Prapass Pulsub / Getty)
Almost 50,000 lung cancer patients have not been seen on time over the last 10 years, with thousands currently waiting more than three months to begin treatment, according to analysis of NHS data.
Despite being the biggest cause of cancer death in the UK, more than one in eight( 15 per cent) of patients are currently“ long waiters” – defined as waiting at least 104 days to start their treatment, the latest figures show.
This is double the figure since 2019. That year some 7.7 per cent( 897) lung cancer patients were long waiters. Last year, 16.2 per cent were long waiters – which equates to 1,694 patients.