The UK lags behind the European average in cancer survival rates Prime Minister David Cameron has announced £164m extra funding for cancer screening and treatments.
He said bowel cancer screening could save 3,000 lives a year.
Mr Cameron said he wanted to shorten the gap between the UK’s rate of cancer survival and the European average by at least 5,000 lives.
Cancer Research UK welcomed the use of new screening – flexible sigmoidoscopy – as it considers the technology a “breakthrough”.
About 5,000 lives would be saved if the UK’s cancer treatment matched the European average, and up to 10,000 if it matched the European top level in cancer survival rates.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show Mr Cameron said: “I absolutely want to close that gap and the announcement today is part of that.”
He said recognising early warning signs was a key part of achieving that goal.
The Department of Health said the announcement included:
£60m investment over the next four years to incorporate the latest bowel screening technology into the existing national programme£50m in additional cancer drugs this year. Consultation will begin soon on proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund from April 2011boosting the number of specialists, by committing the funding needed to deliver 1,200 additional specialists involved in cancer services by 2012 (over and above the 2009 baseline).introducing better treatment, by expanding radiotherapy capacity. In particular, £43m more over the Spending Review period so that all high priority patients with a need for proton beam therapy get access to the treatment, benefiting 400 patients per year by the end of the Spending Review period.raising cancer awareness, through a £10.75m signs and symptoms campaign, which will focus on breast, lung and bowel cancers. The coalition government estimates that a national campaign could mean up to 500 people diagnosed earlier with bowel cancer.
Mr Cameron’s promise comes as the government plans a major shake-up of the NHS in England.
Planned changes include giving GPs more responsibility to determine health spending; hospitals to be set free from central control and an independent board to safeguard the NHS from political interference.
Mr Cameron added: “It’s very important as we take the country through some difficult decisions to say, look, there are some things that are so important to families… and the NHS is one of those things.”
“It’s not just about money, it’s about how well GPs do their job and we need to improve that as well,” Mr Cameron said.
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