13 Mar 2025

The National Cancer Plan: Our chance to save and improve lives

We have made a lot of progress in the last year thanks to your support.

Last month, to mark World Cancer Day, we hosted a Parliamentary event in the House of Commons to launch our policy report Take action, Save Lives. The report outlines our priorities for the Government and sets out key recommendations for the National Cancer Plan to ensure it explicitly addresses the needs of those affected by leukaemia. If we take action, we have a unique opportunity to see our report’s recommendations implemented in the Government’s upcoming National Cancer Plan. 

I will share my experience

Thank you to everyone who wrote to their MP to invite them to our event. With your support, we secured the attendance of over 50 MPs, who met with the leukaemia community, including researchers and those with lived experience. This helped highlight the urgent need to take action to save lives of those affected by leukaemia. MPs from across the UK heard firsthand about the challenges faced by those affected by leukaemia and engaged in discussions on our policy recommendations to save and improve more lives. 

While our event was taking place in the House of Commons, the Cancer Minister launched the Call for Evidence for the new National Cancer Plan in the Chamber. During his announcement, he assured MPs that the greatly anticipated plan will drive improvements for leukaemia. 

It is vital that we hold the Government to its promise and ensure that this plan will drive the improvements those diagnosed with leukaemia desperately need. The Call for Evidence presents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to shape the National Cancer Plan and influence future cancer policy.  

I will share my experience

What is a Call for Evidence?

A Call for Evidence is an opportunity for individuals, organisations, and experts to share their insights, experiences, and recommendations to inform policy decisions. For the National Cancer Plan, it ensures the voices of those affected by cancer, including leukaemia, help shape the Government’s plans to improve outcomes and meet its  health mission goal to reduce lives lost to the biggest killers. 

What is the National Cancer Plan and what does it mean for leukaemia?

Cancer survival in the UK is at the highest ever with 10-year survival for all cancers having doubled since the early 1970s. However, survival in the UK still lags behind other comparable countries. A National Cancer Plan is vital to help the Government to achieve their goal of reducing the number of lives lost to cancer.  

On the 31st of October last year, during a Westminster Hall Debate on the merits of a cancer strategy, the Government announced its plans to develop a dedicated National Cancer Plan. This is a massive win for us here in Leukaemia UK and our supporters who campaigned with the wider cancer community to call for a dedicated cancer strategy.   

One in two people with leukaemia do not survive beyond five years. For those with acute myeloid leukaemia, the odds are even bleaker with five-year survival in the UK just 22%, ranking 8th out of 12 comparable countries. 

Committing to leukaemia

We have a unique opportunity to ensure that the National Cancer Plan includes commitments to save and improve more lives of those affected by leukaemia.  

The Government aims to have patients at the heart of the plan and is seeking the views and ideas of people with lived experience of cancer on its contents. This input will help to shape the plan to improve cancer outcomes and support the Government’s broader health mission of reducing lives lost to the biggest killers, including cancer.  

It is important that the upcoming National Cancer Plan drives improvements for the 60,000 currently affected by leukaemia and those to be diagnosed in the future. This is why we are asking you to respond to the Call for Evidence and share your experience about yours or your loved one’s leukaemia diagnosis, treatment, and care.     

You can submit your own response to the Call to Evidence to ensure sure your voice and experience is heard.  

You can read our response to the consultation if helpful. Our response is based on our Take Action. Save Lives Our priorities for the Government report that is informed by over 300 people in the leukaemia community, including patient representatives.  

The report calls on the National Cancer Plan to: 

• Commit to double five-year survival for acute myeloid leukaemia that is a deadly cancer, from 22% to 44% 

• Include a national target to track improvements on early diagnosis for leukaemia that is a non-stageable cancer 

• Form a Blood Cancer Committee to ensure that the National Cancer Plan delivers for leukaemia 

• Foster an environment for Research and Innovation to find and access and adopt kinder, more effective leukaemia treatments  

• Publish more and better data and commit to a National Clinical Audit and a Getting It Right First Time for leukaemia to benchmark and improve clinical practice for leukaemia 

I will share my experience now