The UK government has unveiled an ambitious "National Cancer Plan" promising that three-quarters of cancer patients will survive the disease by 2035.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the landmark target, which aims to raise the five-year survival rate from the current 60 percent to 75 percent within a decade. The plan is backed by a £2 billion investment in the National Health Service (NHS), designed to clear backlogs, modernize diagnostics, and ensure that a cancer diagnosis is no longer a "lottery of life."

Fixing a Broken System

The pledge comes amid a crisis in cancer care, with the NHS having missed its 62-day treatment waiting time target every month since 2015. The new strategy focuses on three critical pillars:

• Early Diagnosis: catching tumors at Stage 1 or 2 when they are most treatable.
• Technology: rolling out AI-driven diagnostics and modern radiotherapy machines.
• Workforce: recruiting and retaining thousands of oncologists and specialist nurses to staff the expanded services.

A Global Benchmark

"As a cancer survivor myself, I know the difference that timely care makes," Streeting said. The plan seeks to bring UK survival rates in line with the best in Europe, closing a gap that has persisted for years.

While experts have welcomed the ambition, they warn that targets without execution are meaningless. For the thousands of patients diagnosed every day, the success of this plan is literally a matter of life and death.