NHS catching more cancers earlier than ever before

Thanks to the tireless work of our GPs, nurses, clinicians and cancer teams across north east London, we are catching more cancers earlier than ever before.

In 2021 to 2022, over 100,000 patients were diagnosed with cancer at stages one or two when it is easier to treat – the highest proportion on record.

Record numbers of people are getting checked for cancer – 600,000 more patients were checked between March 2021 and December 2022 than in the same period before the pandemic.

Thanks to extensive NHS campaigns and early diagnosis drives, 635,414 more people were referred for cancer during this period – helping to recover the shortfall of 370,000 in people coming forward during the pandemic

This is really encouraging news and spurs us on as we seek to achieve the NHS’s ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage one or two by 2028. We shouldn’t under-estimate it – this is the first significant increase in early diagnosis rates in a decade since data was first published in this form.

Thanks to everyone for your continued help and support in helping spot cancer sooner.