For many, cancer is not an abstract health issue. It’s something encountered through family, friends or colleagues, and it often shapes how people think about their health long before any diagnosis is made.
Across the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer at least every 75 seconds, underscoring why early detection and effective care are so important (1). On World Cancer Day, the focus is not only on treatment, but on what happens earlier. Understanding risk, noticing changes, and engaging with screening can all influence outcomes well before care is ever needed.
Cancer care starts before diagnosis
Meaningful cancer care often happens long before treatment is required. Understanding risk factors, paying attention to changes in your body, and taking up routine screening can influence how early a problem is identified. Earlier diagnosis is associated with a greater chance of successful treatment and, in many cases, less intensive care.
There has been measurable progress in this area. NHS England analysis shows that between September 2023 and August 2024, 58.7% of common cancers diagnosed in England were identified at stages 1 or 2. This represents a 2.7% improvement compared with pre-pandemic levels. In practical terms, this equates to around 7,000 more people being diagnosed earlier, when treatment options are typically broader and outcomes are generally better (2).
This being said, the NHS here in the UK still has a long way to go. The NHS has not met its central cancer performance target - that 85% of patients start treatment within 62 days of referral - since 2014 (3). More worryingly, Cancer remains the country’s biggest killer, causing about one in four deaths, and survival rates lag behind several European countries (4). The government’s National Cancer Plan, released today, aims to address these long standing issues.
Earlier diagnosis and prompt care does not remove the challenges of cancer, but it does change what care can look like. It gives people more options, and often more time.
Understanding and reducing risk
Alongside progress in diagnosis and treatment, there is an important role for individuals to play in their health long before cancer is ever suspected. Understanding how everyday factors influence risk helps people make informed choices over time, without needing to be perfect or alarmed.
Research from Cancer Research UK shows that several everyday factors can contribute to cancer risk. Smoking remains the leading cause of cancer in the UK, while excess weight and obesity are the second largest causes after smoking. Alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity also play a role, alongside factors such as ultraviolet radiation exposure, certain infections, and occupational risks (5).
These are not short term decisions with immediate consequences. Risk accumulates gradually, and small, realistic changes matter more than all or nothing approaches. Understanding this can help people engage with their health without fear or self blame.
One of HealthKey’s partners in this area is Perci Health, a cancer support specialist that provides expert-led care and guidance across prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Their educational content focuses on helping people understand risk in a balanced way and make changes that are sustainable rather than overwhelming.
If you want to explore this further, these Perci Health articles are a useful place to start:
Breast cancer risk and alcohol
Cervical cancer: risk, prevention and screening
Can a healthy lifestyle really reduce your cancer risk?
How does physical activity reduce cancer risk?
Screening, symptoms and being your own advocate
Screening is not about assuming something is wrong. It is about identifying potential issues early, often before symptoms appear, when treatment can be more effective (6).
In the UK, national screening programmes are in place to detect certain cancers before symptoms develop. These include screening for cervical, breast and bowel cancer, as well as targeted lung health checks offered to people with a history of smoking (7)(8). Together, these programmes have already contributed to more cancers being diagnosed at an earlier stage.
Screening is only part of how cancers are identified. It is also important to seek advice outside formal screening routes. Symptoms that persist, changes that do not resolve, or concerns about family history are all valid reasons to speak to a GP or other health professional. Following up concerns and asking questions is not overreacting. It is part of being engaged with your health and care.
Progress in detection and treatment
While prevention and early detection remain essential, cancer care itself continues to evolve. Advances in diagnosis and treatment mean that care is increasingly tailored to the individual.
For some cancers, this includes treatments designed to act on specific genetic features of a tumour, alongside wider use of immunotherapy for selected patients. New drug combinations are expanding options when cancer progresses or returns, and personalised approaches such as cancer vaccines and CAR T cell therapies are now being tested or used within the NHS for certain cancer types. These developments are not universal and are not suitable for everyone, but they are changing what is possible for some patients.
These developments do not replace prevention or early detection. They build on them. Earlier diagnosis allows newer treatments to work more effectively, and improved treatments give people more options and better quality of life when care is needed.
Where this leaves us
Cancer care works best when people are informed, supported and able to engage early with their health, with screening, and with care when needed. World Cancer Day’s focus on people centred care reflects that reality. Progress comes not only from medical advances, but from better understanding, access and trust.
References
(1) Macmillan Cancer Support - A new National Cancer Plan for England
(2) NHS - Early cancer diagnosis in England reaches highest ever level
(3) UK Gov - Three in four cancer patients to survive long term under new plan
(4) Guardian - Three-quarters of cancer patients in England will survive by 2035, government pledges
(5) Cancer Research - Cancer risk statistics
(6) NHS - Screening and earlier diagnosis
(7) NHS - Lung cancer screening
(8) NHS - NHS screening
