Our policy on cancer surgery

We want all cancer patients in the UK to have access to the most appropriate, high-quality surgery for their condition.

Surgery is the foundation of treatment for a number of cancers and many patients receive surgery before any other type of treatment. Around 47% of patients undergoing treatment for cancer (all cancers combined*) in England during 2013-2021 had surgery to remove their tumour, as part of their primary cancer treatment. When looking at combined treatments, 8.0% received a tumour resection and chemotherapy, 8.0% received a tumour resection and radiotherapy, and 6.7% received a tumour resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.  

Advances in surgical techniques have seen increased use of less invasive procedures which can reduce recovery times and improve patient experience. The proportion of cancer patients having surgery to remove their primary tumour is strongly influenced by stage at diagnosis.

However, there are variations in surgical activity across the country which need to be addressed.

The 2024 National Lung Cancer Audit showed that the proportion of lung cancer patients in England undergoing surgery has improved post-pandemic, from 15% in 2020 and 17% in 2021 to 18% in 2022. However, this is still lower than the 20% seen in 2019. The Audit shows this pattern is reflected in Wales - the proportion of lung cancer patients undergoing surgery dropped from 15% in 2019 to 11% in 2020 but is now on the rise, reaching 13% in 2021 and 14% in 2022.

References:

Source: The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK). https://crukcancerintelligence.shinyapps.io/Treatment/  

*‘All Cancers Combined’ includes all malignant neoplasms with surgery defined, excluding BCC, cSCC and rare skin cancers.