A life-saving NHS testing programme is helping to diagnose thousands of people with a genetic condition that increases the chance of developing cancer. The health service has begun rolling out a genetic test for Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition that increases the risk of certain cancers, including bowel, ovarian and pancreatic. It is estimated that […]

Hundreds of patients with breast cancer and advanced prostate cancer could benefit from a breakthrough targeted therapy, after the NHS agreed a landmark commercial deal to roll-out the drug to treat forms of the two most common cancers in England. The drug, olaparib (Lynparza®), targets cancers with mutations in the BRCA genes, and works by […]

Two hundred children in England have now received life-saving treatment for hepatitis C as part of a world-first NHS programme, according to latest figures. Thanks to a new national service, the children – aged three to 18 years – were identified for treatment over the past two years and became the first in the world […]

A life-extending treatment for advanced cervical cancer will be made available to hundreds of NHS patients from today. The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) is the first new addition to NHS treatment for incurable cervical cancer for 14 years. Around 400 people are expected to benefit from the treatment over the next three years after NHS […]

The number of people waiting over 18 months for NHS care has fallen again despite continued demand for services, new figures show today. Thanks to the efforts of NHS staff across the country, the number of patients waiting more than 18 months for care has fallen by more than four fifths since the peak. Latest […]

A new initiative to check for liver cancer in high-risk communities has been rolled out as part of a major NHS drive to catch more cancers earlier and save lives. The roaming trucks performed more than 7,000 fibroscans and identified over 830 people with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis, a leading cause of liver cancer, in […]

The number of people waiting longest for routine care has fallen, despite hospitals having to contend with high levels of winter viruses and strike action, new figures show today. Thanks to the hard work of staff, the NHS is making significant progress against its elective recovery plan, with the number of people waiting over 18 […]

TV presenters Tommy Walsh and Alan Titchmarsh have joined forces with the NHS to support a first-of-its-kind cancer awareness campaign. In a new film discussing the importance of bowel cancer screening, the famous faces will urge those eligible to return their lifesaving bowel cancer screening home tests. Recent data showed almost one third (30%) of […]

Millions of people in England who have been sent a lifesaving home testing kit that can detect early signs of bowel cancer are being encouraged to use it and return it, as part of a new, first-of-a-kind NHS campaign. Launching today across TV, radio, video on demand and social media, the NHS national campaign aims […]

Thousands of women are being urged to take up NHS breast screening appointments as new figures today reveal that while the highest number ever were screened last year, nearly four in 10 did not take up the potentially lifesaving offer. Last year (2021-22) 1.97 million2 women aged 50 to 70 (62.3%) attended screening appointments (within […]