Government’s New Cancer Strategy for England: What It Means for Prostate Cancer

We welcome the publication today (4 February) of the UK Government’s much anticipated National Cancer Plan (NCP) for England. It sets the ambition to make this country a global leader in cancer care by 2035, with more timely access to care, better quality of life and improved survival outcomes.  

Earlier in 2025, PCR fed into the development of this strategy by highlighting the main priorities for the prostate cancer community. We’re glad to see many of the issues we and other cancer organisations highlighted have been included in the Plan.  

But the biggest opportunity for prostate cancer is still under consideration: a final decision hasn’t yet been made around prostate cancer screening and we urge everyone to make their voices heard before the consultation on this closes on 20 February.  

The 10-year National Cancer Plan is built around three major goals: 

1. Improving cancer performance: the Government commits to meeting all three current cancer waiting time standards by 2029. These are the standards for how quickly patients are diagnosed and treated, including for prostate cancer. But some of these targets haven’t been met in many years, which the Government seeks to reverse.  
2. Higher cancer outcomes: by 2035, the Government commits to significantly more people being cancer free or living well with cancer. This includes ensuring more people with cancer are diagnosed at early stages, so we can treat cancers earlier and raise the likelihood of survival.   
3. Raising the quality of life for people living with cancer: the Government commits to modernise the approach to cancer care, introducing Personalised Cancer Plans and making care more coordinated, conveniently located, and where people feel supported to live with cancer long-term.  

This is an ambitious plan with the potential to go a long way to transforming cancer care.  

There are a wide-ranging number of commitments to be delivered across 10 years. These include actions PCR has been advocating for. For example, finding more proactive approaches to detecting people at risk of cancer, speeding up access to new diagnostic technologies, growing the cancer workforce, building on the success of community diagnostic centres, transforming cancer data, tackling the postcode lottery in cancer treatment and more.  

The Government reiterates a few actions on prostate cancer it’s already made previously, for example around patients being able in the future to complete PSA blood tests at home post-diagnosis, as announced in the recent Men’s Health Strategy. But the biggest opportunity for prostate cancer in the plan is still the Government’s ongoing commitment to implement an evidence-based screening programme, once the UK National Screening Committee issues its final recommendation in the next few months.

There will be a new National Cancer Board accountable for the NCP, with yearly progress reports and 3 yearly re-assessments.  

We look forward to working with the UK Government and sector partners to deliver the ambitious agenda in the cancer strategy, so that it makes a meaningful difference to the thousands of men and their families in England affected by prostate cancer.  

Oliver Kemp MBE, CEO of Prostate Cancer Research, said:  “Prostate cancer is now the most diagnosed cancer in the UK, and while advances in science have never been greater, too many men are still being diagnosed late or without the support they need. We welcome the National Cancer Plan’s focus on personalised, coordinated care and improved outcomes. Real transformation means harnessing data and research to tailor pathways to individual risk, and ensuring psychological and emotional support is available alongside clinical care. That’s how we will make care better for every man, wherever he lives and whatever his background. 

“The single biggest opportunity for prostate cancer remains the introduction of a screening programme, starting with men at highest risk, which will help detect more cancers early and improve survival rates. With the National Screening Committee’s public consultation closing on 20 February, it is vital that the public, clinicians and organisations make their voices heard.”