A National Cancer Plan released by the government aims for three in four people diagnosed with cancer to survive for five years, though experts have criticised its lack of emphasis on head and neck cancers.
The plan’s proposed improvements to cancer care in the UK would result in 320,000 fewer lives lost to cancer by 2035. This would be achieved through meeting diagnosis time targets, expanding community diagnostic centres and optimising use of digital technology.
A focus on prevention would see one third of cancers caused by modifiable risk factors such as smoking and obesity avoided through public health programmes. The NHS also aims to be a global leader in cancer research, with more patients treated through clinical trials.
Finally, the plan aims to design cancer care around patients’ lives, providing each patient with personalised support. Care would be delivered closer to patients’ homes, with fewer hospital visits required.
Does the National Cancer Plan mention dentistry?
However, the British Dental Association (BDA) described oral cancers as the ‘missing piece’ in the National Cancer Plan. While the plan does not mention any specific type of cancer, the association said that a focus on restoring access to NHS dental care would be necessary for prevention and early detection of oral cancers.
BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘The health secretary is quite right: cancer survival shouldn’t be a postcode lottery. But as long as access to NHS dentistry remains a game of chance that’s exactly where we’ll be.
Dentists are on the front line in the battle against oral cancers, where early detection is so key. It’s no overstatement to say that failure to restore access to care will cost lives.
‘It’s one thing to have a cancer plan, it’s quite another to invest in the workforce and tools to boost detection and improve survivability.’
Head and neck cancers are the eight most common cancer group in the UK, with incidences and deaths on the rise. The BDA said this was largely due to increasing cases of oropharyngeal cancers.
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