Our reports and publications

Understanding future volume on cancer pathways is important from a health systems planning perspective. This project estimates the level of demand the health system could face during the next five years by projecting current Cancer Waiting times metrics in England to the end of the current parliamentary term, focusing on the 31-day and 62-day metrics as well as looking at the number of urgent referrals entering the pathway.

Cancer Research UK, 2025. CRUK analysis brief:

COVID-19’s effect on cancer patients is a key concern to the cancer community with delayed or decreased diagnosis, tests and treatment. To understand this variable and rapidly changing landscape the Cancer Intelligence team are regularly monitoring published data around the impact of the pandemic across the cancer pathway. We have prepared some key insights which reports latest data across the UK (and where possible for the devolved nations) on screening, urgent suspected referrals, diagnostic tests and treatment. 

Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK. Performance measures across the cancer pathway: Key Stats Updated January 2025.

The CRUK Cancer Intelligence Team’s Cancer Waiting Times and Diagnostic Activity Data Hub gathers the latest data from across the UK on cancer waiting times performance and diagnostic activity and waiting times. You can view breakdowns for some of this information by a specific cancer site and country.

NHS England has a target that at least 85% of patients should start their first treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer. However, performance against this target has significantly deteriorated in recent years and the number of patients on this pathway waiting over 104 days has been increasing in recent years.​

NHS England release monthly data summarising performance against Cancer Waiting Times (CWT) targets. However, these releases do not provide demographic breakdowns or allow an understanding of why lengthy waits are occurring. This project has used the detailed CWT dataset and the Rapid Cancer Registration Dataset to look at the demographics and other characteristics associated with patients who waited longer than 104 days in 2017/2018, 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and the first two quarters of 2022/2023, and the reported reasons for delay, to inform efforts to reduce the variation in long-waits and decrease their frequency overall, to ensure all patients receive timely treatment. ​

Wills, L. Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK:

Breast cancer supplementary analysis  Cancer of unknown primary supplementary analysis  Gynaecological cancer supplementary analysis  Haematological cancer supplementary analysis  Head and neck cancer supplementary analysis  Lower GI cancer supplementary analysis  Lung cancer supplementary analysis  Sarcoma supplementary analysis  Skin cancer supplementary analysis  Upper GI cancer supplementary analysis  Urological cancer supplementary analysis 

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare services in Wales, resulting in rapid reorganisation of resources to be deployed to deal with the influx of COVID-19 patients. This analysis aims to understand the effect of this disruption on Welsh cancer patients across the cancer pathway, for bowel and lung cancer. Focussing specifically on symptom reporting, waiting times, diagnostic tests, hospital access and treatment, this analysis hopes to help improve the understanding of which parts of the cancer pathway were most affected and how they could be better protected in any future healthcare crises. 

View the report here

This research report from Telstra Health UK and Cancer Research UK explores the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer surgery and cancer mortality, both at the very beginning and throughout 18 months of living with the disruption, fear, and strain. The analysis reveals a general decrease in patients undergoing cancer surgery at the start of the pandemic for all demographic groups, but shows that for the most part the recovery period of the COVID-19 pandemic has not exacerbated inequalities in access to cancer surgery. However we know that there are disparities in access to treatment particularly by age, as well as some evidence of variation by deprivation and region. The report also highlights changes in cancer mortality and place of death. Overall it is shown that there was a profound and sustained impact on cancer services and patients but the true extent of these effects is not yet fully understood.

View the report here

Cancer Research UK (CRUK), The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) and Public Health England’s National Disease Registration Service (PHE NCRAS) hosted a Cancer/COVID-19 Research Summit with researchers from different disciplines to identify key research themes or questions around COVID-19’s impact on cancer prevention, early diagnosis and screening. Also, to discuss how the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients can be mitigated through effective research.

Several areas in which further research is needed were identified, as well as lessons from the pandemic to improve research, cancer care, and help prepare for future crises. These include understanding the biological and psychological effects of COVID-19 on cancer patients, risk factors associated with COVID-19 and cancer, the influence of COVID-19 on health-related behaviours and the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care pathways. The full meeting report can be found here.

This report summarises the findings from the CRUK patient experience survey (PES), which collected data from 1st May to 28th May 2020. The findings indicate the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients, and their testing, treatment and care. For many cancer patients the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a significant impact on their testing and treatment, and most notably their care. This has resulted in a negative impact on the emotional well-being of many cancer patients whether they were hoping to finish their treatment, find out the results of their test, have their regular screening, or continue with care that could support them, in some cases for the remainder of their life.

Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK Cancer Experience Survey 2020: The impact of COVID-19 on Cancer patients in the UK. July 2020. 

Our CRUK-PHE partnership team have investigated the geographic variation in the use of lymphonodectomy and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in the treatment of endometrial cancer. Significant variation was found between 19 Cancer Alliances using population level cancer registry data collected between 2013-2016, which is likely due to ambiguity in existing endometrial cancer management guidelines. 

White B, Nordin A, Fry A et al. Geographic variation in the use of lymphadenectomy and external‐beam radiotherapy for endometrial cancer: a cross‐sectional analysis of population‐based data. BJOG 2019 doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.15914

Our CRUK – NHS England partnership team have investigated variation in concordance to recommendations from NICE treatment guidelines for colon and non-small cell lung cancer by patient characteristics and Cancer Alliance. Concordance differed between the recommendations, but there were generally associations between age group, comorbidity score, and stage and the likelihood of receiving recommended treatment.

Wills, L. Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK:

Non-small cell lung cancer treatment guideline recommendation concordance report

Colon cancer treatment guideline recommendation concordance report

Smoking is the leading cause of cancer and preventable death in the UK. Smoking prevalence has been declining across the UK for some decades yet there are still around 4.9 million people who smoke in England, more than 325,000 who smoke in Wales, more than 689,000 in Scotland and more than 206,000 who smoke in Northern Ireland. Smoking prevalence remains higher in more deprived groups.  

England, Scotland and Wales have government-set smokefree ambitions to achieve 5% average adult smoking prevalence by 2030 in England and Wales, and 2034 in Scotland. There is currently no ambition to achieve smokefree in Northern Ireland.  

In this report we estimate whether the smokefree ambitions are likely to be realised based on recent trends, and when smokefree will be achieved for each deprivation decile. We have projected average adult smoking prevalence, and smoking prevalence by deprivation decile for England and Wales, and by deprivation quintile for Scotland and Northern Ireland, until 2050. These projections use smoking prevalence data up to 2023, where possible, from the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Annual Population Survey, Scottish Health Survey and Health Survey Northern Ireland. 

The results indicate that although smoking prevalence rates are decreasing, if current adult smoking prevalence trends continue, none of the UK constituent nations will achieve their smokefree ambitions. The most deprived quintiles and deciles in each of the nations are expected to be the furthest away from achieving smokefree targets and could be more than two decades behind the least deprived; none of the most deprived groups are projected to reach smokefree by 2050.     

Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and death in the UK. Estimates of the population-level burden of smoking-attributable cancer are useful to galvanise policymakers to try to reduce smoking rates. This analysis brief presents estimates of the total number of cancer cases expected to be caused by smoking over the current parliamentary term in the UK, and for the same time period in each of the devolved nations.

The projected number of smoking-attributable cancer cases in the UK from July 2024 – July 2029 was estimated using the well-established population attributable fractions (PAFs) method. The analysis dataset was compiled from projected cancer incidence based on gold-standard cancer registration data, representative population surveys of self-reported smoking and smoke exposure, and meta- or pooled analyses examining the relative risk of cancer in people who currently smoke, used to smoke, or have been exposed to other people’s smoke, versus people who have never smoked or been exposed. Analysis was split by cancer site, sex, age-band, and UK nation, and combined to obtain UK-wide figures.

The results find that almost 300,000 cancer cases are projected to be caused by smoking in the current parliamentary term in the UK. Around 2,800 of these cases are expected to be caused by secondhand smoke exposure in people who have never smoked.

Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer and death in the UK. It causes at least 16 types of cancer. Smoking prevalence in the UK has been falling for decades; however, the pace of change has varied by sex and age (among other characteristics), and people who used to smoke also have elevated cancer risk compared with people who have never smoked.

The number and proportion of smoking-attributable cancer cases in the UK in 2003, 2013, and 2023 were calculated using the well-established population attributable fractions (PAFs) method. The analysis dataset was compiled from gold-standard cancer registration data, representative population surveys of self-reported smoking and smoke exposure, and meta- or pooled analyses examining the relative risk of cancer in people who currently smoke, used to smoke, or have been exposed to other people’s smoke, versus people who have never smoked or been exposed. Analysis was split by cancer site, sex, age-band, and UK nation, and combined to obtain UK-wide figures.

The results find that the estimated proportion of UK cancer cases attributable to smoking has decreased over the past two decades, from 17% in 2003 to 14% in 2023. The estimated number of smoking-attributable cases has increased over this period, from around 48,900 in 2003 to around 57,800 in 2023. The estimated proportion of cancer cases attributable to smoking in 2023 was higher in males (16%) than females (13%), and highest within the UK nations in Scotland. Almost 6 in 10 (57%) UK smoking-attributable cancer cases in 2023 were lung cancer (around 33,100).

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable cancer and death in the UK. Deprived populations typically experience higher rates of smoking and cancer incidence. We calculated the proportion and number of smoking-related cancer cases by deprivation quintile in England and modelled how smoking contributes to the deprivation gap for cancer incidence. We found a strong deprivation gradient for the proportion of cancer cases attributable to smoking in England. Our modelling suggests that more than half (61%) of the deprivation gap for cancer incidence could have been prevented if nobody smoked, indicating smoking to be the key driver for cancer incidence inequality in England.

Payne NWS, Brown KF, Delon C et al. Socio-economic deprivation and cancer incidence in England: Quantifying the role of smoking. PLOS ONE 2022 17(9): e0272202

Overweight and obesity is a major risk factor for the leading causes of death in the world and is causally associated with at least 13 different types of cancer. Overweight and obesity prevalence has increased markedly in the UK in recent decades. We provide projections for overweight and obesity prevalence by sex and deprivation quintile in the UK (where possible) and its constituent nations. These projections, based on current trends in nationally representative health surveys, suggest that there could be more people who are obese than healthy weight in the UK by 2040. In England and Scotland, the deprivation gap for obesity between the least and most deprived is projected to increase by more than half.

The CRUK-PHE partnership have published a paper comparing patients presenting with non-specific but concerning symptoms with patients presenting with more obvious symptoms. Cancer registration data was linked to the National Cancer and Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) data, which has information about primary care for over 17,000 cancers. The work found that patients with non-specific symptoms had longer primary care intervals, more complex diagnostic pathways and were more likely to be diagnosed at stage 4 and after an emergency presentation. This work supports the evaluation of Multi-Disciplinary Centres (MDCs) by the ACE Programme, an early diagnosis imitative supported by CRUK, MacMillan Cancer Support and NHS England.

Pearson C, Poirier V, Fitzgerald K, et al. Cross-sectional study using primary care and cancer registration data to investigate patients with cancer presenting with non-specific symptoms. BMJ Open 2020;10:e033008. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033008

This report investigates to what extent the proportion of overweight and obesity attributable cancer cases in the UK varies with deprivation. For females, the proportion of cancer cases attributable to overweight and obesity showed a 10-29% relative increase from the least deprived quintile to the most deprived. The deprivation gap was generally much smaller for males. There is a stronger deprivation gradient for obesity prevalence in UK females compared to males, and more overweight and obesity-associated cancer types in females compared to males, which explains the differences observed between sexes.

Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK. The fraction of cancer attributable to overweight and obesity by deprivation quintile in the UK. October 2020.

The proportion of current smokers in the population (smoking prevalence) has been falling for decades in the UK, However a clear deprivation gradient remains: smoking prevalence is around twice as high in routine and manual (R&M) workers compared with managerial and professional (M&P) workers. That gap has widened in recent decades, because smoking prevalence has fallen more slowly among R&M workers compared with M&P workers. This reflects both higher rates of uptake and lower rates of quitting in R&M workers compared with M&P workers. Occupation group is associated with smoking behaviour independent of other characteristics like age, sex, region, education, marital status, ethnicity, alcohol consumption and general perceived health. If the R&M worker population had experienced the same pace of decline in smoking prevalence as the M&P population, there would now be almost a million fewer R&M worker smokers.

Cancer Intelligence Team 2019 Smoking prevalence trends by occupation group in health survey for England

We know that socio-demographic factors can affect screening coverage. This tool models how socio-demographic factors may impact screening coverage to produce an estimated local level which is then compared to the actual screening coverage of each GP practice area. This could help identify populations where screening coverage is higher, lower or similar to the level that their socio-demographics would predict, and therefore help systems identify the right strategies to increase screening coverage in those areas. This tool can also provide an idea of where systems may want to target resources when used in conjunction with local knowledge.

Diagnosis of cancer soon after emergency care use is associated with adverse prognosis. This analysis used data from the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit to more precisely explore different definitions of emergency diagnosis and the predictors and consequences of different emergency diagnosis types. Produced in partnership with the National Disease Registration Service and the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit Methodology Group. 

This analysis used data from the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit to examine possible changes to aspects of the diagnostic process, and its timeliness, before and after publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (2015) guidance on the referral of suspected cancer in primary care. Produced in partnership with the National Disease Registration Service and the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit Methodology Group. 

There is a growing emphasis on the speed of diagnosis as an aspect of cancer prognosis. Epidemiological data in the last decade have quantified diagnostic timeliness and its variation. Whether prolonged diagnostic intervals can be considered avoidable has not been assessed in relation to outcomes. This analysis used data from the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit to investigate the frequency, nature and impact of avoidable delays. Produced in partnership with the National Disease Registration Service and the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit Methodology Group. 

Continual improvements in diagnostic processes are needed to minimise the proportion of patients with cancer who experience diagnostic delays. Clinical audit is a means of achieving this. This analysis used data from the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit to characterise key aspects of the diagnostic process for cancer and to generate baseline measures for future re-audit. Produced in partnership with the National Disease Registration Service and The National Cancer Diagnosis Audit Methodology Group. 

Our CRUK-NHS E partnership team have evaluated whether certain ethnic groups in England are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. Reviewing diagnoses of 6 cancer types from 2012-2016 in people belonging to one of 5 ethnic groups, we found that Caribbean, African and Asian women and Caribbean men had increased odds of late-stage disease for certain cancer types compared to the White British cohort. Reasons behind increased late diagnoses may include poorer symptom awareness, delays in seeking help and having to present to the GP multiple times before being referred for tests.

Fry A, White B, Nagarwalla D, et al. Relationship between ethnicity and stage at diagnosis in England: a national analysis of six cancer sites. BMJ Open 2023. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062079

Our CRUK-PHE partnership team have calculated diagnostic intervals for the first time for patients of 25 different cancer sites diagnosed in 2014 & 2015. Significant variation in these intervals were found by stage of disease, route to diagnosis and comorbidity score. An online tool demonstrates variation by these and other factors  by cancer site and cancer alliance. A paper describing the methodology and results for colorectal and lung cancer was published in Cancer Epidemiology in June 2019. Two blogs detailed the project, one by CRUK and one at Public Health Matters. 

Pearson C, Fraser J, Peake M. Establishing population-based surveillance of diagnostic timeliness using linked cancer registry and administrative data for patients with colorectal and lung cancer. Cancer Epidemiology 2019.

This report updates Cancer in the UK 2020: Socioeconomic deprivation report and highlights the inequalities linked to socioeconomic deprivation that continue to persist across the cancer pathway.

The report emphasises how significant disparities remain between the most and least deprived groups. Generally, more deprived groups have a higher prevalence of risk factors that can lead to higher rates of cancer incidence. People living in more deprived areas are less aware of symptoms of cancer and report more barriers to seeking help. Participation in screening programmes is lower in more deprived groups and they have higher proportions of cancers diagnosed at a later stage, leading to worse outcomes in survival and mortality.  Despite ongoing efforts, these challenging inequalities continue but there are opportunities and positive developments that we can build on to progress in reducing inequalities across the cancer pathway.

Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK. Cancer in the UK 2025: Socio-economic deprivation. February 2025.

This report sets out the key challenges facing cancer services and people affected by cancer. We’ve made huge progress on cancer in the last 50 years, but new analysis indicates that improvements in survival have slowed. This next instalment in the Cancer in the UK series highlights the need for political leadership to deliver long-term solutions to the challenges facing cancer research and care. 

Cancer in the UK: Overview 2024

Devolved nation summaries are also available:

Cancer in the UK: Scotland Overview 2024

Cancer in the UK: Wales Overview 2024

Cancer in the UK: Northern Ireland Overview 2024

This report sets out the top line view of key challenges facing cancer services, and people affected by cancer today, looking at where progress is being made and the many challenges we face. With cancer cases projected to rise, ensuring we have a long term, comprehensive plan for cancer that tackles these challenges and harnesses the opportunities is vital.

This report is a call to action – all of us must come together to make progress in our ambition to beat cancer. People affected by cancer deserve no less.

Cancer in the UK: Overview 2023

Devolved nation summaries are also available:

Cancer in the UK: Scotland Overview 2023

Cancer in the UK: Wales Overview 2023

Cancer in the UK: Northern Ireland Overview 2023

This report focuses on the impact of deprivation across the cancer pathway in Scotland. Generally, populations with higher deprivation have greater risk factors for cancer, are less aware of symptoms of cancer and report more barriers to seeking help. Their participation in screening programmes is lower and they are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease. People from more deprived populations have worse cancer outcomes, including survival. We need to make sure we push to achieve lower levels of cancer risk factors, better engagement with the health system and improved cancer outcomes for everyone and close the deprivation gap, because beating cancer must mean beating it for everyone.

Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK. Cancer in the UK: Deprivation and cancer inequalities in Scotland. November 2022.

This report brings together the available evidence across the UK of inequalities in cancer by socio-economic variation and shows the negative experiences and outcomes that people from more deprived groups experience. Generally, populations with higher deprivation have higher prevalence of cancer risk factors, are less aware of symptoms of cancer and report more barriers to seeking help. Their participation in screening programmes is lower and they have higher proportions of cancer diagnosed through routes with worse survival. People from more deprived populations report worse experiences of care and experience inequalities in treatment options. They have worse outcomes. This report presents the evidence for each part of the cancer pathway with examples from all four UK nations. 

Cancer Intelligence Team, Cancer Research UK. Cancer in the UK 2020: Socio-economic deprivation. September 2020.

Overweight and obesity’ is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking. In 2018, Cancer Research UK launched an awareness raising campaign about the link between overweight and obesity and cancer risk. This study aimed to evaluate the reach and impact of the campaign.The campaign consisted of six elements including the main message that ‘Obesity is a cause of cancer’. UK adults and Members of Parliament (MPs) were surveyed before the campaign (W1; n = 2124 and n = 151), 1 month (W2; n = 2050 and n = 151) and 3 months after the campaign (W3; n = 2059 and MPs not surveyed). Outcome measures were campaign reach, awareness of overweight and obesity as risk factors for cancer, attitudes towards individuals who are overweight or obese, support for policies to reduce obesity and reactions to the campaign. This evaluation suggests that the campaign achieved the primary objective of increasing awareness of the link between obesity and cancer without increasing negative attitudes towards individuals who are overweight or obese.

Mass media campaigns can reach a large number of people with health messages, but it is unclear how effective these are at changing health behaviours. We conducted a narrative review of systematic reviews to examine the impact of mass media campaigns on eight health behaviours, as well as their cost-effectiveness. Specifically, we explored the impact of mass media campaigns on tobacco use, dietary behaviours, alcohol use, physical activity, sun and UV-protection, HPV vaccination, cancer screening uptake, and symptomatic GP presentation. We concluded that mass media campaigns should be used as part of multi-component, community-based interventions and more research is needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of these types of campaign.

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This report presents the data from the 2022 Lung Cancer Screening survey, led by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), conducted by YouGov and with the costs of the project covered by ScottishPower.

This piece of research aims to inform CRUK’s work in the lung cancer space. This may include taking action to support possible widespread introduction of targeted lung cancer screening by the NHS. It could also include work to mitigate any unintended consequences of targeted lung screening – such as impact on perceptions of the risk of lung cancer amongst people who have never smoked.

A bespoke survey was conducted to explore public perceptions around lung cancer and its risks, as well as knowledge and perceptions of screening, including eligibility and the impact of screening. This project built on previous work conducted by CRUK in order to optimise development of targeted lung cancer screening and ensure success of any future programme with minimised unintended consequences.

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An advertising campaign piloted by Cancer Research UK in 2018 aimed to promote quit attempts by increasing awareness of the relative harms of e-cigarettes compared with smoking. A cross-sectional survey evaluation was conducted surveying adults (≥16 years, n = 2217) living in the campaign region and the comparison/control regions. We tested interactions between time (pre, post) and region (campaign, control).

Compared with the control region, the campaign was associated with an increase in smokers’ motivation to quit but a smaller increase in adults’ perception of e-cigarettes as an effective cessation aid. It was identified that using mass media to communicate accurate information about the relative harms of e-cigarettes compared with smoking may be an effective strategy in increasing smokers’ motivation to quit. Further research is needed to evaluate effects on quit attempts and success.

Harry Tattan-Birch, Sarah E Jackson, Charlotte Ide, et al. Evaluation of the Impact of a Regional Educational Advertising Campaign on Harm Perceptions of E-Cigarettes, Prevalence of E-Cigarette Use, and Quit Attempts Among Smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 2019. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntz236

In the United Kingdom, standardised packaging for cigarettes was phased in between May 2016 and May 2017. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with current smokers aged 16+ in two regions of England when both standardised and fully-branded packs were available. The study found that standardised packaging was associated with increased warning salience and thoughts about risks and quitting. Specifically, compared with never users, current users were more likely to have noticed the warnings on packs often/very often, read them closely often/very often, thought somewhat/a lot about the health risks of smoking and thought somewhat/a lot about quitting. These findings provided support for standardised packaging during the transition period.

Moodie C, Brose LS, Lee HS et al. How did smokers respond to standardised cigarette packaging with new, larger health warnings in the United Kingdom during the transition period? A cross-sectional online survey.  Addiction Research & Theory 2019.

CRUK's training (“Talk Cancer”) aims to increase awareness of screening programmes and risk factors, promote more positive beliefs about cancer and increase confidence to discuss cancer with members of the public, among people working across the health service, local government, community and voluntary sectors who are appropriately placed to have these discussions with the public.

The evaluation found that the trainees' more positive beliefs about cancer, their increased confidence in discussing cancer and their increased awareness of bowel cancer screening were all maintained at 2 months.

Roberts A, Crook L, George H etc al. Two-month follow-up evaluation of a cancer awareness training workshop (“Talk Cancer”) on cancer awareness, beliefs and confidence of front-line public health staff and volunteers. Prev Med Rep 2019. 

This report summarises the findings from an online survey (n=2,115), which contributes to discussions about the ethics of cancer screening in a pandemic situation. It aims to build an understanding of public attitudes towards cancer screening and any potential delays in cancer screening. The majority of participants (86%) wanted to know about any potential delays, and nearly half (48%) would prefer to experience a delay to their invitation over other parts of the screening pathway. The earlier in the pathway a delay is experienced the less anxiety participants anticipated. 

This report supports a strategic delaying of cancer screening invitations under the proviso it ensures a shorter wait for follow-up tests and treatment. Ethical considerations about screening should include an emphasis on allowing the public to make an informed decision on their participation.

View the report here

An exploration into public attitudes towards the new Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer, due to be introduced in England in 2020, within the context of a patients’ recent referral experiences.

It found that waiting for test results and responsibility for meeting the standard were the main concerns and it was concluded that patients should be asked what they would like to know about their referral and that GPs should be more transparent about the referral process and the potential for a lack of clarity around next steps.

Piano M, Black G, Amelung D et al. Exploring public attitudes towards the new Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer: a focus group study with the UK public. Br J Gen Pract 2019.

Want to generate bespoke preventable cancers stats statements? Download our interactive statement generator.

Research shows that leading a healthy lifestyle can help prevent cancer. Further, diagnosing cancer at an early stage can increase survival rates. Cancer Research UK (CRUK)'s nurse-led outreach activity supports cancer prevention, early diagnosis and screening in deprived community settings. CRUK developed a habit-based behaviour change tool to support this activity and better enable conversations about behaviour change. 

View the report here

Mass media campaigns can reach a large number of people with health messages, but it is unclear how effective these are at changing health behaviours. We conducted a narrative review of systematic reviews to examine the impact of mass media campaigns on eight health behaviours, as well as their cost-effectiveness. Specifically, we explored the impact of mass media campaigns on tobacco use, dietary behaviours, alcohol use, physical activity, sun and UV-protection, HPV vaccination, cancer screening uptake, and symptomatic GP presentation. We concluded that mass media campaigns should be used as part of multi-component, community-based interventions and more research is needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of these types of campaign.This report summarises the key findings from the CRUK Patient Survey, which collected data from December 2020 to March 2021. Findings are from patients who share their stories and experiences and give an indication of the impact COVID-19 has had on their testing, treatment and care. New data on remote consultations and COVID-19 safety measures have been collected.

The barriers to timely cancer diagnosis and treatment identified by people affected by cancer in this report are not an entirely new phenomenon that have emerged only in the pandemic. Even before COVID-19, cancer services were on the verge of crisis, and the vast majority of patients surveyed supported governments taking steps required to make expanding capacity in cancer services a reality.

View the report here

Improving public awareness of cancer and encouraging health behavior change are important aspects of cancer control. We investigated whether a community-based roadshow was an effective way of communicating with the public about cancer and encouraging behavior change. Data were from 1196 people who completed questionnaires at a Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Roadshow in 2013. Of these, 511 (43%) completed questionnaires immediately before their visit (pre-visit group) and 685 (57%) completed questionnaires immediately after their visit (post-visit group). Among the post-visit sample, 217 (32%) were retained after two months. Self-reported data were available on risk factor and symptom awareness, help-seeking barriers, use of healthcare services and health behaviors. Compared with the pre-visit sample, the post-visit group had greater awareness of cancer risk factors and was more positive about aspects of help-seeking but awareness of potential symptoms was similar. Most effects were maintained over two months. Intentions to eat more fruit and vegetables and to exercise more were comparable between the groups but more people in the post-visit sample intended to quit smoking. At 2-month follow-up, smoking prevalence had significantly reduced but fruit and vegetable consumption decreased and there was no change to physical activity. User of weight loss services and general practitioner visits were high at follow-up and largely attributed to the Roadshow. The Cancer Research UK Roadshow appears to improve risk factor awareness, promote positive attitudes towards help-seeking and increase smoking cessation. This approach could be a useful building block for additional cancer prevention and control strategies.

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Despite growing evidence that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, perceptions of equal or more harm have increased worldwide. This study aimed to identify the most common reasons behind people’s perceptions of the (i) relative harm of e-cigarettes compared with cigarettes and (ii) effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.

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Objectives To understand self-reported potential cancer symptom help-seeking behaviours and attitudes during the first 6 months (March–August 2020) of the UK COVID-19 pandemic.

Design UK population-based survey conducted during August and September 2020. Correlates of help-seeking behaviour were modelled using logistic regression in participants reporting potential cancer symptoms during the previous 6 months. Qualitative telephone interviews with a purposeful subsample of participants, analysed thematically.

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Worldwide, cancer screening faced significant disruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If this has led to changes in public attitudes towards screening and reduced intention to participate, there is a risk of long-term adverse impact on cancer outcomes. In this study, we examined previous participation and future intentions to take part in cervical and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening following the first national lockdown in the UK.

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