Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care in Scotland

Our manifesto sets out the measures and commitments the next Scottish Government must make to help prevent more than 10,100 cancer deaths between now and 2040.

Cancer won’t wait—neither can we. Now is the moment to unlock the full potential of research, prioritise prevention, support the NHS, and tackle deep-rooted inequalities in cancer care.

- Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive

We’ve made huge progress on cancer in the past 50 years

Since the 1970s, cancer death rates have fallen by around 17% in Scotland, thanks to improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

But cancer is still the defining health issue of our time

Nearly 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime¹

Cancer Research UK, Lifetime risk of cancer. Available at: cruk.org/lifetimerisk

. It’s the leading cause of death in Scotland, affecting every family in every constituency. 

Alongside the devastating human cost of cancer, there is an economic cost too, with around 30,000 productive years of life lost to cancer in Scotland in 2023 alone. The present value of future lost productivity for those deaths in 2023 is estimated to be around £840m.

The challenge is only growing

As our population grows and ages, the number of new cancer cases increases. By 2038–2040, the number of new cases is projected to increase by 16% from 2024–2026. That’s around 42,100 new cases diagnosed each year in Scotland. 

And cancer doesn’t affect people equally. Cancer death rates are around 80% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived. This is unacceptable.

But so is the opportunity

We’re in a golden age for cancer research. New tools and technology mean we can do things in hours that used to take years, putting us on the brink of making huge leaps in how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. 

Investing in cancer research, prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment will: 

• save and improve lives 

• benefit the NHS 

• improve productivity 

• strengthen the economy 

We can, and must, do better for people affected by cancer

We’ve succeeded before and we can succeed again. With political will and strong leadership, we can all have more moments with the people we love. 

Our aim is simple: longer, better lives

The Scottish Government should make a national commitment to reduce the cancer death rate by 15% by 2040, which would prevent around 10,100 cancer deaths. 

Our manifesto sets out the immediate measures and long-term commitments an incoming government can make to elevate cancer survival and make sure people in Scotland live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. 

Our four recommendations 

Recommendation 1 

Fund and deliver the 10-year cancer strategy and meet cancer waiting times. 

While progress has been made to implement Scotland’s current cancer strategy, there are still some significant challenges and barriers to making more rapid progress – most notably, the lack of adequate funding. 

Now is the moment to unlock the strategy’s full potential through sustained investment, a unified national effort to meet cancer ambitions and a relentless focus on tackling inequalities. 

Recommendation 2 

Strengthen NHS capacity and innovation to meet patient need. 

We envisage a future where Scotland leads the world in cancer care – where every person, no matter where they live, has swift, equitable access to the very best in cancer prevention, earlier diagnosis and kinder, better treatment. 

With a cancer workforce plan, a capital investment strategy that delivers the equipment needed, the ability to adopt innovations quickly and a well-supported primary care system – all backed by funding – we can build a health service that not only meets today’s needs, but is ready for tomorrow’s challenges. 

Recommendation 3 

Combat lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in Scotland. 

Tobacco causes almost 7 in 10 lung cancers and is responsible for around 9,100 deaths each year in Scotland.  

Bold and urgent action must be taken. Prevention is critical, as is supporting people to quit smoking and diagnosing lung cancer as early as possible.   

To achieve this, the Scottish Government must deliver a nationally coordinated lung cancer screening programme, implement the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and ensure smoking cessation programmes are prioritised for all. 

Recommendation 4 

Create a world-leading cancer research environment. 

With the right investment, Scotland’s universities, hospitals and industry could further strengthen the excellent and collaborative research environment in Scotland to deliver the health innovations we need.   

A new Scottish Health and Biomedicine Institute would bring together the very best scientists and experts from different disciplines to look at a wide range of diseases and conditions facing the Scottish population. 

Contact us

Sorcha Hume

Public Affairs Manager (Scotland)

scotlandpa@cancer.org.uk