NHS 10 Year Cancer Plan announced on World Cancer Day

On World Cancer Day, the UK Government has published its new NHS Cancer Plan for England, setting out its key priorities to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

The long-awaited plan is the first dedicated cancer strategy since 2015. It offers a pivotal opportunity to reboot how ovarian cancer is prevented, diagnosed, and treated across the UK.

Here, we’re breaking down what this means for women with ovarian cancer, and why the commitments set out today could mark a turning point in earlier diagnosis and improving ovarian cancer survival rates.

This World Cancer Day arrives at a critical moment for women facing ovarian cancer.

• 7,500 women are diagnosed, and 4,000 lives are lost to ovarian cancer annually.
• 40% of women in England are diagnosed at A&E, only after reaching a crisis point with their symptoms.
• 5‑year survival ranges from 29% to 50% around England – a life-or-death postcode lottery.

But recent years have shown what is possible: breakthroughs in personalised medicine, major advances in genomic testing, the introduction of the national audit, and promising research in prevention and early detection.

These developments demonstrate that change is within reach - but achieving it requires system‑level change.

That’s why we, with the One Cancer Voice coalition, called for a national Cancer Plan.

On April 25, alongside our patient research partners and expert clinical community, Ovarian Cancer Action submitted a detailed, evidence‑based vision for transforming ovarian cancer outcomes by 2035.

What does the NHS Cancer Plan say?

The NHS Cancer Plan for England has set out 3 key ambitions for all cancers:

1. Meeting the cancer waiting times standard by 2029.
2. Improving 5-year survival for all cancers to 75% by 2035.
3. Improving quality of life and patient experience.

Across the plan, there are many commitments that will make a significant difference for women with ovarian cancer.

• Improving survival rates, not just in all cancers, but also as a specific target for ovarian cancer. The plan has pledged to match the world’s best ovarian cancer outcomes by 2035, meaning 1,000 more women each year will survive 5 years after a diagnosis. Better, more detailed data will be made available to measure progress against this target.

• Ensuring earlier diagnosis for more patients will be crucial to achieving this. The previous Government’s commitment to increase the proportion of cancers diagnosed at Stage 1 and 2 will continue, with a commitment to increase the rate of early diagnosis by 20%. In particular, there is a target to reduce the number of cancers diagnosed through A&E.

• The commitment to end the cancer postcode lottery will significantly help us catch up, as some parts of the UK already achieve the world’s best survival rates. There will be new training places and funding for the adoption of life-saving innovative technologies in rural and coastal areas. New cancer manuals will set out what best practice looks like, using data to drive improvements in parts of the country where cancer care is falling short. Importantly, cancer care will be centralised into a smaller number of specialist centres, which will give ovarian cancer patients across the country better access to the best surgical expertise.

• All ovarian cancer patients will get a genomic test in a clinically relevant timeframe. This means that every patient can benefit from the most effective treatment for them, unlocking personalised medicine for all.

• By 2029, the cancer waiting times target for 85% of cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral will be met. Gynae-cancer waiting times are today some of the longest of all cancers. This is not acceptable. Local Cancer Alliances will now be responsible for ensuring these targets are met, giving ovarian cancer patients the best chance of their treatment being a success.

• Creating the world’s first genetics register – the NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register – for those with cancer susceptibility genes, including BRCA gene faults, to fast-track access to screening and tailored information about risk reduction.

• Some cancer services will be brought closer to home, including a digital prehabilitation service, which all women with ovarian cancer can access, so that their treatment can be as effective as possible.

• Innovation and AI technologies proven to improve outcomes will be adopted quickly and equitably. NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) will review AI technologies like it currently does for medicine, and if approved, the NHS must fund its rollout all over the country, expanding innovation outside of the cities.

• Research and clinical trials that answer the key questions in cancer will be accelerated and prioritised, in partnership with the charity, university and pharmaceutical industries. Key research priorities include screening and diagnostic tools that detect multiple cancers, the creation and roll-out of personalised treatments and cancer prevention technologies. Progress in all of these areas will make a huge difference to ovarian cancer survival rates.

• There is a specific focus on improving outcomes in rare and less common cancers, including appointing a national clinical lead for rare and less common cancers, increasing research funding, setting quality standards and patients reviewed by specialist MDTs (Multi-disciplinary teams).

• Every ovarian cancer patient will have a named clinical nurse specialist to support them through their diagnosis and treatment, a personal care plan developed in partnership between patients and their clinical nurse specialist, and an end-of-treatment summary to empower and support patients through and beyond their treatment.

Emergency diagnosis in the spotlight

Our recent campaign during Gynae Cancer Awareness Month spotlighted one of the most urgent problems: thousands of women in England are still diagnosed only when their symptoms become severe enough to require A&E (40%). In some parts of the UK, this is more than half of all diagnoses.  We know that women diagnosed in this way have later-stage disease, lower rates of treatment and a significantly worse chance of surviving their disease.

We know what it takes to improve survival rates for ovarian cancer.

Last year, we came together with patients and clinicians to submit a bold set of asks for this National Cancer Plan, and we are delighted to see that the Government has listened.

Ovarian Cancer Action will now work closely with the Government and the NHS to ensure these promises turn into real, measurable change, so that more women survive ovarian cancer and survive it well.