131 The UK Government has announced new measures aimed at ending the postcode lottery in cancer care, with a focus on improving access to specialists in rural and coastal areas. The plans form part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England and are intended to reduce long standing regional inequalities in diagnosis and treatment. Recent data show stark differences in how quickly patients receive care. According to figures from November 2025, the proportion of people with breast cancer starting treatment within 62 days of urgent referral ranged from 100% in some areas to just 23.7% in others. Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said the figures highlight the scale of variation across the system. To address these gaps, the government will introduce new training places targeted at NHS trusts with the most severe workforce shortages. In partnership with the royal colleges, efforts will focus on encouraging more doctors to train in clinical and medical oncology, particularly in under served regions. The move comes amid warnings that shortages are likely to worsen, with 27% of breast clinical oncologists expected to retire within the next five years. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “For too long, your chances of seeing a doctor and catching cancer early have depended on where you live. That’s not fair and has to stop. I am determined to end the health inequalities that have grown across England over the last 15 years. We’re training more doctors in the communities that need them most and making sure the latest cancer detection technology reaches every corner of the country.” Alongside workforce changes, the National Cancer Plan will introduce new national standards for cancer care and expand the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence to support earlier diagnosis. From April 2027, new tests, devices, and digital tools will be assessed through the same approval process as medicines. Once approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the NHS will be required to fund them. The first technologies to be assessed under the new model include: A sponge on a string test that can detect early signs of oesophageal cancer within minutes. Smart software that analyses tissue samples for prostate and breast cancer, helping to speed up diagnosis and free specialist time. AI tools for chest X rays to support earlier detection of suspected lung cancer in primary care. New diagnostic approaches for unexplained bleeding to help women receive faster answers about possible endometrial cancer. Professor Jonathan Benger, chief executive of NICE, said: “When NICE was founded 26 years ago, it set out to end the postcode lottery in access to medicines. We’re now extending that same clarity and fairness to healthtech.” The NHS has also launched a national genetics initiative designed to identify people at higher inherited risk of cancer. The NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register will gather data on more than 100 cancer related genes. The programme builds on the Lynch syndrome register, through which 12,245 people received additional bowel screening between July 2023 and November 2025. Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for Cancer at NHS England, said: “We are entering a new era of early cancer detection with pioneering research and testing helping us to discover more about how genes influence our chances of developing cancer and this register could help ensure thousands more people can be offered screening, tests and the latest treatments.” Separately, the government has invested £70 million in new radiotherapy machines and opened 170 community diagnostic centres across England, with the aim of bringing tests closer to where people live and improving access to timely diagnosis regardless of location.