Looking back at the decade I was born in, the 1970s, only one in four people in Britain survived their cancer for ten years or more.
Fast forward to now and survival has more than doubled.
But the sad truth is that we still have a long way to go. Cancer rates are rising and hard-won progress is slowing.
People are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, the NHS is under enormous pressure and the country’s survival rate lags behind that of comparable countries.
We live in a country that has the potential to set a gold standard for cancer research – but there is still much work to be done. We need a long-term plan to go from world laggard to world leader.
When Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, was born, only one in four people in Britain survived their cancer for ten years or more
In our manifesto we set out these exact plans: ‘Longer, Better Lives’, which if implemented could help prevent 20,000 cancer deaths every year by 2040.
Research has been integral to the improvements we’ve seen so far. Just look at cervical cancer.
We live in a world where a vaccine – developed from decades of research, clinical trials and NHS screening programs – has reduced the rate of cervical cancer by 90 per cent in girls who were first vaccinated in the early 2000s.
It is possible that we can eradicate this type of cancer as a public health problem. But research must be sufficiently funded to achieve more breakthroughs like this.
We face a funding gap of more than £1 billion for cancer research by the end of the next decade, which the Government must urgently address.
People are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, the NHS is under enormous pressure and the country’s survival rate lags behind comparable countries
We live in a world where a vaccine – developed from decades of research, clinical trials and NHS screening programs – has reduced the number of cervical cancer cases by 90 percent
We also need to ensure that fewer people get cancer in the first place. Smoking remains the biggest cause in Britain, leading to 150 cases of cancer every day. Tobacco is the only legal consumer product that will kill the most users.
That’s why the changes in who can buy tobacco products are so important. Under the proposed legislation, my own children will never be able to legally buy cigarettes.
It’s exciting to think that the next generation can be saved from a lifetime of poor health and addiction.
Cancer is still the defining health problem of our time. Nearly one in two people will develop the disease during their lifetime.
Britain cannot accept the globally lagging cancer outcomes. We cannot accept a real reduction in funding. And we should not accept the longest wait times for tests and treatments in recent history.
Those affected by cancer will rightly not accept this. Behind every statistic there is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a family affected by cancer and dependent on politicians to make the right decisions.
The time to act is now: with political will and leadership, we can all experience more moments with the people we love.