Cancer cases 'to increase a third by 2020'

Cases of cancer are expected to increase by a third by 2020 with nearly 300,000 people having the disease diagnosed each year, according to a landmark government report published yesterday.

The five-year Cancer Reform Strategy said the ageing population, obesity epidemic and rise in lifestyle cancers would cause the rise in the number of people having cancer diagnosed each year.

Over half of all cancers could be prevented if people adopted healthy lifestyles such as stopping smoking, avoiding obesity, eating a healthy diet, undertaking a moderate level of physical activity, avoiding an excessive alcohol intake and avoiding excessive exposure to the sun.

The new strategy includes plans to speed up drug approval, more money for radiotherapy services and a possible clampdown on sunbeds and cigarette vending machines.

But after Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, announced a £680 million plan for improving cancer services yesterday the Government came under fire for pouring more money into the battle against the illness with little effect.

Mr Johnson said that the national Cancer Reform Strategy would be underpinned by a £370 million investment by 2010. But The Times has learnt that the cost of the five-year plan will actually be much greater, with the Government banking on saving £310 million by making the NHS more efficient to help to fund an expansion of screening, staff and equipment.

Opposition parties immediately accused the Government of wasting the money it has already invested in tackling the disease, which kills about 125,000 people in England each year.

The amount spent on treating cancer in England has grown by more than a quarter in the last three years, but cancer survival is still below the European average.

Under the new strategy, ministers have earmarked £130 million to improving radiotherapy services, but emphasised that savings would be needed by treating more patients outside hospital or shortening the amount of time they spend on wards.The remainder will come out of money allocated for the NHS in this year’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

According the the strategy’s figures, cancer programmes — which currently cost £4.35 billion a year — will continue to rise by an extra £70 million a year. This is on top of the cost of new cancer drugs, which is growing at over £100 million a year.

A national programme to vaccinate 12-year-old girls against human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer, will also cost £100 million a year, plus an extra £200 million for catch-up programmes.

Breast and bowel cancer screening programmes are also due to be extended but Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, declared that such plans were at risk because of the Government’s “inability” to secure value for money in the NHS.

Gordon Brown met campaigners and clinicians in Downing Street to state that the strategy set out a “comprehensive approach” to cutting cancer in the years ahead.

Mr Johnson later officially announced the new measures in Whitehall alongside the National Clinical Director, Professor Mike Richards and claimed progress had been made since 2000.

“Fewer patients need to stay in hospital for long periods. They can be treated as day care cases, they can be treated in the community,” he said.

The toll

38% of deaths under the age of 75 are due to cancer — the highest figure for a single cause

25% of people surveyed said that cancer was the thing they most feared, over a heart attack or terrorism

5.2% of NHS spending in England goes on cancer

6 The number of cancers that are strongly linked to obesity — kidney, womb, gallblader, colon, throat and breast in post-menopausal women

£80 The amount per head of population that is spent on cancer in England. This compares with £121 in France and £143 in Germany

Source: timesonline.co.uk