The NHS Long-Term Plan sets out an ambitious target to have three quarters of all cancer diagnosed at an early stage by 2028.

The latest cancer staging data for 2025 shows that the number of early stage tumour diagnoses in London has increased when the cancer is easier to treat.  This ranged from 56.7% in North East London ICB to 64.2% in North Central London ICB.

What are the barriers to early diagnosis?

• Poor awareness about the signs and symptoms of cancer, in particular symptoms which could relate to other health issues like changes in bowel habits or a persistent cough.
• Delays in getting a referral for appropriate tests or getting a hospital appointment.
• Fear of taking up GP time or about what the doctor might find.

What are we doing to ensure that more Londoners are diagnosed early?

• The roll out of new Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs), the extension of the current screening programmes (including lower ages for bowel screening, lung health checks and cervical self-sampling screening) and the new Faster Diagnosis Standard are some of the ways in which we plan to achieve this.
• We are also supporting London’s health and care system by providing a city-wide approach to urgent suspected cancer referrals and sharing screening best practice.