More Than 60,000 Cancer Patients In England Not Getting Any Radiotherapy, Research Shows

More than 60,000 crab patients a twelvemonth are not getting nan radiotherapy they request astatine all, while immoderate patients successful England look waits of up to six months to statesman nan treatment, according to research.

The business is truthful dire that astir 100 heads of radiotherapy and oncology – three-quarters of England’s radiotherapy leaders – person warned successful an unfastened missive that nan authorities is failing patients.

International experts work together that more than half (53%) of each crab patients will typically request radiotherapy, but successful England, only 35% really person it. According to exclusive study of nan latest NHS information by nan kindness Radiotherapy UK, that intends 181,023 patients should get radiotherapy but only 120,569 did, leaving 60,455 cancer patients a twelvemonth successful England who are not getting immoderate radiotherapy crab curen astatine all.

Regional inequalities are rife. While 36% of patients successful nan south-west get radiotherapy, conscionable 33.7% do successful nan south-east, pinch much than 10,000 patients missing retired connected nan captious treatment.

The starring oncologist and chair of Radiotherapy UK, Prof Pat Price, said arsenic a result, “thousands of crab patients consequence dying prematurely either because they are not getting radiotherapy astatine each aliases because of immense delays successful starting radiation treatment”.

“Radiotherapy is 1 of nan astir cost-effective and curative crab treatments we have,” she said. “It is not a ‘nice to have’, this is simply a life-saving treatment. The authorities must urgently put successful much machines, much unit and widening entree to this captious treatment. Otherwise, nan UK will stay stuck astatine nan bottommost of nan crab endurance convention tables, and patients will dice needlessly.”

The findings travel a 2024 study of 780,000 people, comparing curen for 8 different cancers successful each UK nation, Norway, Australia and Canada. The International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership recovered that group successful nan UK were treated little often pinch radiotherapy and faced considerably longer waits for treatments.

Latest NHS England figures show that successful July 2025, 61% of patients waited longer than 2 months to statesman treatment, including radiotherapy, and only 39% of patients successful England began radiotherapy wrong 62 days from referral, against nan nationalist target of 85%.

Some patients person had to hold months to commencement radiotherapy. Alison was 64 erstwhile she was diagnosed pinch shape 1 bosom cancer. Faced pinch a 15-week hold for room astatine her southbound seashore hospital, Alison decided to rustle her savings and spell privately. When she recovered retired she’d person to hold up to six months for radiotherapy, Alison decided to spot if she could beryllium seen quicker location else, arsenic she couldn’t spend immoderate much backstage treatment. Her advisor referred her to nan Christie crab centre successful Manchester, wherever she received her radiotherapy astatine nan extremity of June.

Although Alison cannot praise nan Christie capable for nan attraction she received, having to recreation much than 200 miles for her curen was a traumatic experience.

“You know, I’ve been done a batch successful my life, but nan intelligence anguish that I was put done cannot beryllium overestimated,” she said. “Really, it’s horrendous.

“I spent a week successful Manchester going for radiotherapy each azygous day. I had to ringing nan small doorbell for nan extremity of my curen connected my own, complete 200 miles distant from my family. That is wrong.”

Staff shortages connected apical of accrued request are fuelling delays. According to nan Royal College of Radiologists, successful 2024, 7 successful 10 crab centre leaders said unit shortages were putting diligent information astatine risk. Experts study that radiotherapy machines are sitting idle in a number of trusts, aliases incapable to run astatine weekends, because location are nary unit to run them. One caput of radiotherapy from a ample spot successful nan eastbound of England said nan “devastating reality” is that nan workforce is astatine breaking point.

“After 35 years successful nan radiotherapy profession, I tin opportunity pinch certainty that nan business we look coming is nan worst I’ve ever seen. Across nan country, radiotherapy curen machines beryllium idle. Not conscionable because of method faults, but because location simply aren’t capable unit to tally them,” they said.

The situation is truthful acute that 91 radiotherapy leaders moving successful centres crossed England person written to nan wellness secretary, Wes Streeting, calling connected nan authorities to prioritise finance successful radiotherapy aliases consequence nan forthcoming crab scheme failing.

“Radiotherapy has been held backmost by humanities underinvestment and systemic under-prioritisation,” nan missive says. “As a result, radiotherapy is often near retired of awesome argumentation conversations and suffers from outdated equipment, slow exertion adoption, chronic workforce shortages and stark location inequalities.

“If we neglect to money and present connected radiotherapy, [the committedness of nan government’s crab plan] will beryllium surgery earlier it moreover begins.”

Mark Lawler, a professor of integer wellness astatine Queen’s University Belfast and chair of nan International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, said: “We are world laggards for some entree and timeliness of radiotherapy, down nan likes of Denmark, France, and for lung crab moreover Labrador and Newfoundland. I ne'er thought I’d perceive myself saying that.”

Dr Stephen Harden, nan president of nan Royal College of Radiologists, said astir patients faced “agonising radiotherapy delays”.

“Amid soaring request for crab care, unit shortages and diligent delays will only get worse if thing is done to summation nan workforce. While nan authorities has invested successful caller Linac radiotherapy machines, unit shortages astatine immoderate crab centres mean they can’t connection curen connected evenings and weekends.”

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.