The National Cancer Plan, launched today, sets out England’s next major phase of change to improve cancer outcomes over the coming decade. Building on the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, the Plan provides a long-term framework to strengthen cancer prevention, accelerate early diagnosis, modernise treatment pathways and reduce persistent inequalities in outcomes.
A central ambition of the Plan is to detect cancer earlier and, where possible, prevent it altogether. Earlier diagnosis remains one of the most powerful levers for improving survival, and the Plan reinforces efforts to expand and refine national screening programmes. This includes previously announced changes to bowel cancer screening, to increase sensitivity and identify cancers at an earlier stage, such as lowering Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) thresholds (a non-invasive home screening and diagnostic test used primarily to detect invisible traces of blood in a stool sample, which can be an early sign of colorectal cancer. Alongside screening, the Plan emphasises the importance of public awareness, primary care engagement and faster access to diagnostics to ensure symptoms are recognised and investigated sooner.
Tackling inequalities in cancer outcomes is a core priority. The Plan recognises that where someone lives, their socioeconomic background and their ethnicity continue to influence cancer survival. In partnership with the network of regional Cancer Alliances, a shared theme is the reduction of unwarranted variation by improving access to diagnostics, specialist expertise and high-quality treatment.
A defining theme of the Plan is the growing role of genomics as a core component of routine cancer care. Advances in genomic testing are already reshaping how cancers are detected, characterised and treated, and the Plan builds on this progress by embedding genomics more systematically across care pathways. Genomic information can identify people at increased inherited risk of cancer, support more precise diagnoses, and enable treatments to be better tailored to the individual—improving outcomes while reducing unnecessary interventions.
Work already underway across the NHS aims to empower non-genetics clinicians—including oncologists, surgeons, clinical nurse specialists and GPs—to order and interpret genomic tests as part of standard care. This approach reduces delays, avoids unnecessary referrals to clinical genetics services, and ensures patients can access genomic-informed decisions earlier in their care journey.
A defining feature of the Plan is its commitment to mainstreaming genomics into routine cancer care, and across care pathways. This includes the use of genetic information not only to guide treatment, but also to identify people at higher inherited risk of cancer earlier.
The recently announced NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register is an essential element which brings together information on inherited cancer risk across multiple genes, to support systematic follow-up, tailored screening and personalised prevention for people who may not yet have cancer, but who face increased risk.
Innovation and technology underpin delivery. Continued investment in diagnostic capacity, including community diagnostic centres, alongside the responsible use of digital tools and artificial intelligence, is intended to speed up pathways and reduce delays from referral to treatment. Improving performance against cancer waiting time standards remains a key focus, supported by pathway redesign and better use of data.
Together, the National Cancer Plan signals a clear commitment to making genomics routine, not exceptional—using genetic insight to prevent cancer, personalise treatment and ensure that the benefits of innovation and progress are felt equitably across the population.