Leading charity Breast Cancer Now warns that thousands of people are still being denied timely access to breast cancer care, years on from the pandemic.
Ahead of the latest cancer waiting times being published (Thursday 11 July), new analysis of NHS data by the charity shows people with breast cancer are routinely experiencing very long waits for diagnosis and treatment in England, which risk impacting outcomes for patients, as well as worsening their stress and anxiety.
Concerningly, NHS England’s expectation for 90% of people urgently referred to have breast cancer confirmed or ruled out in 28 days, (the Faster Diagnosis Standard, FDS) has only been met twice since its introduction (August 2023).[1] Breast Cancer Now analysis estimates that over 6,700 more people (6,784) in England would have received a timely diagnosis if this expectation had been consistently met.[2]
The charity has also uncovered that within the FDS figures longer waiting times to diagnose breast cancer are masked by shorter waits for people having the disease ruled out. Between March 2023 and April 2024, on average only two thirds (66%) of people were told they had breast cancer within 28 days, compared to over 90% of people who had the disease ruled out.[3] Shockingly, in April 2024 only just over half of people (55%) were told they had breast cancer within 28 days - the worst performance in recent months.[4]
The outlook for breast cancer treatment is also bleak. Three years of failing to meet the NHS target, for 85% of people with breast cancer to start treatment within 62 days of urgent referral, means 10,130 breast cancer patients have been denied prompt treatment.[5] Furthermore, the number of people experiencing the longest waits (more than 104 days) for treatment each month has increased threefold since April 2021, with an estimated 2,980 people waiting over 104 days for treatment over the last three years.[6]
Even people starting treatment for breast cancer within the target time of 62 days are waiting longer. A staggeringly low 8.1% of patients received their first treatment within 31 days of being urgently referred in April 2024, compared to 37.2% at the start of the pandemic (April 2020).[7]
Breast Cancer Now is calling for urgent action by the new government and NHS England to ensure all breast cancer patients promptly receive a diagnosis and start vital treatment that could give them the best chance of survival. This means meeting both the 90% expectation for breast cancer to be confirmed or ruled out within 28 days, and the 85% target for treatment to start within 62 days of urgent referral. The charity is also calling for cancer waiting time targets to be updated so the problems driving ongoing delays can be better understood and addressed.
Rachael Franklin, interim chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“Our analysis exposes a devastating ‘new normal’ of increasingly long waits for people to receive a breast cancer diagnosis and start the vital treatment that gives them the best chance of survival.
“Despite the tireless work of NHS staff, with each month we’re seeing more people waiting, and waiting longer, for the care they should be able to count on.
“That’s why we’re calling for urgent action by the new government and NHS England to meet both the existing 90% expectation for breast cancer to be confirmed or ruled out within 28 days, and the 85% target for treatment to start within 62 days of urgent referral, to reduce the agonising waits so many people are experiencing.
“However, it’s also crucial that these targets measure waiting times at all stages of the breast cancer pathway to identify and tackle the underlying problems causing delays. Only then can we guarantee the prompt diagnosis and treatment that all breast cancer patients deserve.”
Breast Cancer Now is calling on the new government to work with NHS England to deliver the following cancer waiting times improvements:
- Commit to publishing separate data on waiting times for confirming breast cancer.
- Update the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) to monitor a comprehensive and full breast cancer diagnosis, including all the information needed to make a treatment decision, rather than simply ruling cancer in or out within 28 days.
- Focus on improving the average waiting times for starting breast cancer treatment, as well as meeting the existing commitment to reduce the 62-day cancer backlog.
- Offer breast services the support needed to close the waiting times gap between breast cancer being diagnosed and ruled out.
ENDS
Notes to editors
1 As a result of Breast Cancer Now’s tireless campaigning, NHS England (NHSE) recognised the need for the FDS to be more ambitious for breast cancer than their target for 75% of patients to meet the standard by March 2024. They set an expectation that more than 90% of urgent breast cancer referrals should be diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days. Breast Cancer Now analysis of NHS England cancer waiting times data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/).
2 Breast Cancer Now analysis of NHS England cancer waiting times data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/). Using the 28 day Faster Diagnosis Standard urgent suspected breast cancer data between August 2023 and April 2024, if 90% expectation for breast cancer had been met, 6,784 people would have received their diagnosis earlier.
3 Breast Cancer Now analysis of supplementary requested data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/supplementary-information/). Average percentages of people told they had breast cancer or had breast cancer ruled out within the 28 day Faster Diagnosis Standard for urgent suspected breast cancer. 66% of people were told they had breast cancer within 28 days, compared to 91% of people who had breast cancer ruled out between March 2023 and April 2024.
4 Breast Cancer Now analysis of supplementary requested data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/supplementary-information/).
5 The target for 85% of people with breast cancer to start treatment within 62 days of urgent referral was last met in November 2020. Breast Cancer Now analysis of NHS England cancer waiting times data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/). Using 62 day urgent suspected breast cancer data between April 2021 and March 2024, if 85% target for breast cancer had been met, 10,130 people would have started their treatment within the 62 day target.
6 Breast Cancer Now analysis of NHS England cancer waiting times data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/). Between April 2021 and March 2024, 2,980 people waited over 104 days to start treatment on the 62 day urgent suspected breast cancer referral route.
7 Breast Cancer Now analysis of NHS England cancer waiting times data (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/). In April 2020, 37.2% of patients received their first treatment within 31 days, compared to 8.1% in April 2024 on the 62 day urgent suspected breast cancer referral route.