The Welsh Government has announced its intention for a 10-year National Cancer Strategy – to be shaped by evidence from patients, carers, clinicians, charities and the public as well as working with international partners.
It is due to be published to coincide with World Cancer Day, on 04 February 2027.
Gareth Howells, CEO of Tenovus Cancer Care, has issued a statement in response:
With Wales preparing to develop a new long-term cancer plan, this is an important opportunity to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities for people affected by cancer.
With the current Cancer Improvement Plan drawing to a close this year, the next plan must build on what has worked while addressing the areas where progress has been too slow.
Wales now has an opportunity to set a clear long-term direction, making the decisions and investments needed to deliver better outcomes for people affected by cancer.
That must include achieving earlier diagnosis for more difficult-to-detect cancers, including gynaecological cancers and less survivable cancers such as lung, stomach and oesophageal cancer, while also delivering consistently against the Single Cancer Pathway standards that patients rightly expect.
In our Losing Our Patience manifesto, Tenovus Cancer Care highlights that the greatest improvements in survival for less survivable cancers will come through earlier diagnosis. The new plan must prioritise earlier diagnosis, improve access to rapid diagnosis and ensure evidence-based screening programmes are expanded where they can save more lives.
The success of the plan will ultimately depend not on its ambitions alone, but on whether it is properly resourced, measured and delivered over the coming decade. Cancer care does not begin and end in hospital. Charities like Tenovus Cancer Care provide essential emotional support, practical help, financial advice and trusted information that enable people to cope with the realities of a cancer diagnosis. A successful long-term cancer plan should recognise these services as an integral part of cancer care, rather than an optional extra.
Above all, the new plan must give people affected by cancer confidence that, wherever they live in Wales, they can access timely diagnosis, high-quality treatment, and the support they need throughout their cancer journey.
