Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said:
“We welcome the UK Government’s ambition to tackle health inequalities affecting people living with cancer, and to level-up access to groundbreaking treatments, as part of the upcoming Cancer Plan for England. Tackling inequalities is at the heart of our strategy as we strive to realise our ambition that by 2050, everyone with breast cancer lives, and lives well.
“No one with breast cancer should miss out on a treatment that could save or extend their life, or on care that could help them to live well, due to where they live or enduring health inequalities facing under-served communities. This is why we’ll be focussing our efforts on the 20% of areas with the worst outcomes in breast cancer and driving progress to tackle this issue head on.
“The most recent monthly data (Nov 2025), revealed that the percentage of people with breast cancer starting their first treatment within 62 days of urgent referral ranged from 100%, to only 23.7%. And inadequate capacity is one of the most common reasons why patients don’t start treatment on time.
“The commitment to boost the number of cancer specialists in under-served areas is critical to reducing regional variations and its impact on people’s treatment and care. Time is of the essence as workforce shortages are set to worsen, with 27% of breast clinical oncologists due to retire within the next five years.
“Breast cancer can happen to anyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally. We stand ready to share our insight and expertise to support the government to deliver the aspirations of the Cancer Plan, so that everyone affected by this devastating disease gets an early diagnosis, the best care and support, and access to new and better treatments that ultimately pave the way for a cure.”