The stubborn regional variation in early cancer detection

The gap between the areas with the best and worst records on the early detection of cancer has remained almost unchanged over the past five years, new NHS England data indicates.

The proportion of cancers detected at stages one and two – when they are more curable – has improved by 2.7 percentage points to 58.1% nationally, but this masks significant regional variation.

In the 12 months to February 2019, the percentage point difference between the top performing cancer alliance – Thames Valley (63.1%t) – and the worst performing – Lancashire and South Cumbria (51.6%) – was 11.5.

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Source: HSJ, 27 June 2023