Specialist cancer teams are being established and cancer networks are becoming a reality. Cancer service collaboratives are streamlining care, reducing waiting times for treatment. These new standards will enable us to ensure that all patients receive high quality care. After decades of neglect, cancer services are now getting sustained investment and the fundamental reforms they have long needed. The new national standards will help end the unfair lottery in cancer services.
Cancer care is too important to be left to chance.
This can only be done with better equipment, more cancer specialists and better patient access to the most appropriate treatments. Currently, the UK has some of the highest death rates in Europe for several of the major cancers. A report by the Royal College of Physicians, released in December, found that many patients are not granted access to experts with specialist knowledge of administering chemotherapy drugs. There is also concern that some proven cancer drugs are being denied patients because they are too expensive. Drug tackles Prozac libido loss NHS plans germ war response Go-ahead for cancer drug Heart implant man 'making progress' Links to more Health stories are at the foot of the page.