Today the government has published the long-awaited National Cancer Plan for England. We know too many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer face delays in diagnosis and unequal access to care - which is why it is vital that we have a plan that is ambitious and delivers change for ovarian cancer.
A new cancer plan was one of our keys calls to the government after the election in 2024. We were pleased to contribute to the plan throughout its development, making sure that the voices and experiences of those impacted by ovarian cancer were heard.
The plan shows promise for the future. We welcome the ambition to be a world leader in cancer by 2035 and for 75 per cent of patients to be cancer-free or living well after five years.
Spotlight on ovarian cancer
We were pleased to see commitments on ovarian cancer in the plan, with targeted action highlighted around:
- Ovarian cancer specifically requiring significant effort to improve survival
- Improving access to ovarian cancer data
- Better access to genetic testing, with eligible patients who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer to receive testing for relevant genes including BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Today the government has set a big ambition to make England a world leader in cancer survival. With one in seven women with ovarian cancer dying within just two months of diagnosis, this couldn't be more important. It is vital that the actions set out in this plan deliver meaningful change for patients and their families. The plan is only the beginning, and we urge the government to work closely with Target Ovarian Cancer and the cancer community to turn its ambitions into real improvements in early diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Women with ovarian cancer deserve better now.
Here’s how the plan stacks up against our key calls:
Government Funded Awareness
We are disappointed that the plan contains no commitment to fund national symptom awareness campaigns. Target Ovarian Cancer has consistently urged the government to provide sustained investment in these campaigns, which are vital to ensuring that more women recognise the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
With no effective screening programme available, empowering women with clear, accessible information is essential if we are to make meaningful progress in early diagnosis.
However, we were pleased to see a commitment around locally led awareness, in particular the focus on hard-to-reach areas. We have demonstrated that locally-led awareness can make a difference through our ‘This Van Can’ work with Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance.
We hope through this new approach of raising awareness there will be more opportunities to work collaboratively at a local level and we look forward to seeing more detail on this.
A focus on early diagnosis
We are pleased to see a range of commitments set out that build on previous ambitions to improve early diagnosis, including the government’s aim to increase the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stage 1 and 2.
Alongside this, we welcome a target to reduce the number of rare cancers diagnosed in an emergency setting. We know that 40 per cent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are diagnosed after a visit to A&E. Being diagnosed via emergency presentation leads to much poorer outcomes with a late diagnosis and treatment options available reduced.
We are encouraged to see commitment to a big leap in reinventing the early diagnosis pathway. For ovarian cancer central to this must be better diagnostic tools. The commitment to prioritise technologies with the most promise to transform the cancer pathway must see the government and NHS work together with charities and patients to prioritise what works most effectively for them.
Good ovarian cancer treatment and care available for all
The new cancer manuals will set out what good care looks like, with regional partnerships of health leaders and clinicians using data to drive improvements where services are falling short.
Whilst there is a potential for the cancer manuals to improve the quality of care, the plan has not set out which cancers will have a cancer manual. The plan explains that the first wave of manuals will include an equal balance of rare cancers where survival has been slowest and the most common cancers.
We want to see ovarian cancer prioritised and will be seeking further detail on how the government will assess which cancers will receive a new cancer manual.
Focus on rare and less common cancers
For the first time we are pleased to see a National Cancer Plan that focuses on rare and less common cancers, including ovarian cancer, which for far too long have been overlooked.
The plan has committed to ensuring rare and less common cancers have real parity and have outlined a new approach to clinical trials and access to breakthrough treatments. Ensuring easier access to clinical trials would allow more patients to access vital and lifesaving treatment. It would provide reassurance for patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer that if there is a clinical trial that could help them, they will be informed at the earliest opportunity.
Better access to ovarian cancer data
In our call for evidence, we urged the government to publish disaggregated data by cancer tumour type. We are therefore pleased to see this recommendation reflected in the plan with a commitment to making performance data for ovarian cancer more accessible.
If the government are going to achieve their target of meeting cancer waiting time standards by 2029, then access to high quality data is essential if we are to understand and address the challenges faced by ovarian cancer patients.
How can you get involved?
More on the National Cancer Plan is coming soon. If you want to help make sure it delivers for those affected by ovarian cancer join our campaigns network.
