Detect cancer earlier

It is vital that the next Welsh Assembly Government makes earlier detection of cancer a priority for the NHS. When cancer is detected and diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is more likely to be simpler and more effective and could mean that thousands of cancer deaths are avoided each year. More effective treatment, and new technologies which can spare side effects, are likely to save money for the NHS.

Longer-term, early detection will lead to efficiencies; cancer will be increasingly diagnosed at a stage where it is easier to treat with surgery and radiotherapy, negating the need to prescribe as many expensive end of life drugs.

Streamlining the process of cancer diagnosis will also deliver efficiencies. For example, more GPs with direct access to diagnostic tests should mean fewer consultant appointments before diagnosis.

In Wales, cancer survival rates remain poorer than in other comparable European countries. A lack of knowledge of the signs and symptoms of cancer among both the public and medical professionals means that patients can wait too long to see a specialist, which can delay their diagnosis.