Hundreds of lung cancer patients harmed after long waits

Hundreds of lung cancer patients are coming to harm while waiting longer than the 62-day benchmark for starting treatment, according to unpublished data collated by HSJ which ministers have called “shocking”.

The figures, obtained from Freedom of Information requests, also suggest the true figure could be even higher, because around 30% of the 104 relevant trusts did not provide data. A leading expert also warned the findings were likely “a conservative estimate” of the level of harm.

The figures are understood to represent the first time the number of harm reviews relating to lung cancer patient long waits across all English trusts has been quantified.

The findings come as scrutiny around the NHS’s record on cancer is set to intensify in the coming months, with the government set to publish a new National Cancer Plan.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the UK, which has some of the worst survival rates in Europe for the condition, with only about 10 per cent of patients living longer than 10 years. There are around 49,300 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the UK each year, accounting for 13 per cent of all new cancers.

The 71 responding trusts contacted by HSJ revealed they had carried out 4,574 harm reviews following lung cancer patients breaching the constitutional 62-day target for starting treatment in the two years between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024.

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Source: HSJ, 4 November 2025