Cancer Reform Strategy - NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

3Forewordby the Prime MinisterAt one time or another every family in Britainwill have been touched by the shadow ofcancer. Almost one in four people die from thedisease and many more are still living with theafter effects of cancer today.Groundbreaking advances in our understandingof cancer and its treatment are leading tosignificant advances in the quality of care andtreatment which cancer patients receive. Over thelast ten years falls in mortality rates have saved60,000 lives and survival rates continue to improveyear on year for bowel and breast cancers. Andwe are investing more than ever before - £15billion over the next ten years – in researchingthe cures and treatments of the future, many ofwhich will impact on the lives of cancer patients.But at the same time there are new challenges.The number of people contracting cancercontinues to increase as our population agesand the consequence of successful treatment isthat more people are living after cancer thanever before. And because cancer is no longerthe death sentence it was, that serves to increasethe importance of care for cancer survivors.Our next steps must reflect the very highestpriority that we as a country attach tocombating this disease.Our action on cancer must focus more than everon prevention and reducing the risk of peopledeveloping the disease. Our commitment torolling out a cervical cancer vaccine to all girlsmust act as a signal that our understanding ofcancers is allowing us to do more than everbefore to help all of us stay cancer free. But thismust be combined with greater responsibility fromindividuals to change aspects of their behaviour,such as smoking, to reduce their own risk.Early diagnosis is vital if we are to achieve agenuinely world-class cancer service. Theextensions to screening and early diagnosiswhich we are setting out in this plan will allowall of us faster and easier access to screeningthan ever before. Our investment in digitalmammography will further improve the alreadysuccessful breast screening service.We must do more to ensure treatment is of thehighest quality and I believe this plan can act asa road map to a higher standard of care,available to all. Our investment in world-classradiotherapy will ensure all of us have access tothe best care when we are most in need.I welcome the opportunity this strategy hasprovided for working in partnership with charitiessuch as Cancer Research UK and MacmillanCancer Support and I look forward to thispartnership helping to deliver the improvementswe all want to see. We will work closely withMacmillan Cancer Support in developing asurvivorship initiative that I believe will make adifference to the lives of all those living with theaftermath of cancer and their carers.I would like to thank everyone who hascontributed to the improvements to cancerservices that we have seen in recent years, and Ilook forward to the truly world class cancerservice which I believe this strategy will deliver.The Prime MinisterGordon Brown