NHS ‘must prepare for greater cancer care’

The increasing age of the British population could put a greater burden on the NHS to treat cancer, as the disease is most commonly associated with old age, according to Cancer Research UK.

Professor Alex Markham, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, says that the number of cancer cases is likely to increase, although more people will survive thanks to better detection and more advanced treatments.

However, the NHS must still do more to prepare for this increase, he states.

“The growing number of people living with cancer will place a far greater burden on NHS cancer services in the future,” Professor Markham remarked.

“Without clear strategies to address this, inequalities in access to treatment will grow.”

“The NHS must be adequately prepared if all patients are to receive the best possible care,” he concluded.

Professor David Forman, chair of the UK Association of Cancer Registries, said the use of modern IT systems needs to be considered over how they can be best used to improve cancer treatments.