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

Our manifesto sets out the measures and commitments the next Welsh Government must make to help prevent around 5,500 cancer deaths between now and 2040.

Together, we can build a future where more people live longer, better lives, by investing in cancer services and research and driving the change Wales urgently needs.

- 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 16% in Wales, 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 Wales, affecting every family in every constituency. 

Alongside the devastating human cost of cancer, around 16,000 productive years of life were lost to cancer in Wales in 2023 alone. 

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 more than a tenth from today. That’s around 24,800 new cases diagnosed each year in Wales. 

And cancer doesn’t affect people equally. Cancer death rates are almost 48% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of Wales 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 leadership, we can all have more moments with the people we love. 

Our aim is simple: longer, better lives

The Welsh Government should make a national commitment to reduce the cancer death rate by 15% by 2040, which would prevent around 5,500 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 Wales live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. 

Our four recommendations 

Recommendation 1 

Develop, fund and deliver a long-term cancer strategy to improve cancer outcomes in Wales. 

Wales needs an ambitious national approach to improving cancer outcomes that’s underpinned by a long-term cancer strategy.  

This must be delivered through strong leadership and effective governance arrangements, with a focus on driving earlier diagnosis, tackling health inequalities and reducing cancer deaths. The government must use this as an opportunity to take learnings from nations that have leaped ahead in tackling cancer, while also harnessing Welsh strengths. 

Recommendation 2 

Support the NHS to deliver cancer services for everyone, both now and in the future. 

We envisage a future where every person in Wales, no matter where they live, has fast, equitable access to the very best in cancer prevention, earlier diagnosis and kinder, better treatments.  

To realise this, we must strengthen the NHS in Wales by supporting primary care and bolstering capacity within the cancer workforce, making sure they’re equipped with essential kit and cutting-edge technologies. This should be underpinned by accurate data collection and long-term workforce planning for cancer, to make sure we build a health service that not only meets today’s needs, but is ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges. 

Recommendation 3 

Combat lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in Wales. 

Tobacco causes around 2 in 3 lung cancers and is responsible for around 4,100 Welsh deaths each year.  

Bold action is required to prevent as many lung cancer cases as possible, by implementing and enforcing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and strengthening smoking cessation services to help people quit. 

The recently announced Welsh national lung cancer screening programme should be implemented as soon as possible to detect more lung cancer cases early, when they’re more treatable and survival is highest. 

Recommendation 4 

Strengthen the research and innovation ecosystem to enable research to flourish and get innovations to patients faster. 

The Welsh Government can strengthen the research base in Wales, with action to support foundational research investment into universities. This should be driven by a partnership between research system leaders that focuses on areas of relative strength in Wales. 

Strengthening our innovation ecosystem is also vital - to get new tools and technologies to patients more quickly. This should be realised by speeding up pathways to adoption, incentivising research activity within the NHS and clearly identifying and prioritising new technologies.  

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