Data brief
This brief presents the latest data on waiting times for diagnostic tests, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and performance against targets for all UK nations.
Find out more about key waiting times statistics - August 2026
Report
Our 2026 report Cancer in the UK: Age aims to support a more nuanced understanding of how cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes vary by age.
Find out more about Cancer in the UK: Age - July 2026
Report
This report summarises the current impact of cancer on people and health services in the UK today. It looks at where progress is being made and what challenges remain.
Find out more about Cancer in the UK: Overview - April 2026
Report
This analysis looks at variation in performance for the Faster Diagnosis Standard by whether cancer is diagnosed or ruled out, including by type of suspected cancer.
Find out more about FDS performance variation - September 2025
Report
This report estimates the level of demand the health system could face during the next five years using projections of referrals for urgent suspected cancer.
Read the report in full (PDF, 599 KB)- February 2025
Report
This report updates the 2020 report and highlights ongoing disparities between the most and least deprived groups.
Find out more about Cancer in the UK: socio-economic deprivation -February 2025
Report
This report looks at the characteristics of patients who face the longest waits for cancer treatment (>104 days from their referral) and the reported reasons for delays.
Find out more about patients experiencing long waits - July 2024
Peer review publication
This study establishes a methodology to measure the time from first contact in secondary care to cancer diagnosis, and examines diagnostic timeliness.
Find out more about diagnostic intervals - May 2019
Peer review publication
An exploration into public attitudes towards the new Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer within the context of patients’ recent referral experiences.
Find out more about public views about delays in cancer screening - May 2019
Explore data for UK constituencies on our interactive hub. Find information on cancer cases, deaths, smoking, overweight and obesity, early diagnosis and waiting times.
Explore data on cancer waiting times and diagnostic testing, including performance against key targets. You can look at breakdowns for cancer types and trends over time.
Visit the archive to view earlier reports and supplementary analyses.
Prevention Policy Research to view our policy on different ways of preventing cancer.
If you have any comments, questions or feedback, please reach out to our team.
Stay up-to-date with the latest cancer research information.
