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Prevention and early diagnosis

The NHS Long Term Plan sets an ambitious goal: by 2028, 75% of cancers will be diagnosed at stage 1 or 2. Achieving this will save an estimated 55,000 additional lives each year and increase overall cancer survival to over 70%.

Prevention is central to our work.

While cancer risk is influenced by a combination of lifestyle, genetics and environmental factors, evidence shows that around 4 in 10 cancers could be prevented through healthier choices. These include:

Stopping smoking

Eating a balanced diet

Being physically active

Drinking less alcohol

Protecting your skin

Supporting earlier diagnosis

Diagnosing cancer earlier improves outcomes and saves lives. This depends on:

  • People recognising potential signs and symptoms and seeking advice promptly
  • Participation in national screening programmes
  • Healthcare professionals having the awareness, tools and confidence to refer patients quickly and appropriately

Early diagnosis

Thames Valley Cancer Alliance works with healthcare professionals, NHS partners and local communities to help identify cancer as early as possible. 

Our work includes raising awareness of cancer symptoms, encouraging timely presentation, supporting primary care referrals and addressing inequalities in access to diagnosis.

Find out more about our early diagnosis work.

Our priorities

Working in partnership with screening and immunisation teams, public health, primary care networks, community organisations and charities, we are focused on the following priorities:

  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: Increasing uptake among school-aged children and young adults through targeted awareness campaigns
  • Lung cancer screening: Continuing the rollout of targeted lung screening programmes across the Thames Valley
  • Breast, bowel and cervical screening: Improving awareness and participation through campaigns and behaviour change initiatives
  • Liver surveillance: Supporting NHS Trusts to strengthen pathways for people at high risk of hepatocellular cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer: We will support the national project to identify pancreatic cancer earlier through proactive case-finding searches
  • Primary care support: Delivering education sessions, providing practical toolkits, and developing quality improvement initiatives to support earlier cancer detection
  • Supporting early diagnosis:Raising awareness of cancer risk factors, signs and symptoms within communities, and promoting early engagement with primary care. This includes targeted outreach in high-footfall settings such as sports venues.

Together, these actions will help us prevent more cancers, diagnose them earlier, and improve outcomes for our population.