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'We have missed existing cancer targets for three years'

Why are cancer survival rates in England so much lower than in Europe?

A respected international study showed that many thousands of people die in this country from cancer every year who would still be alive if they had lived in France, Germany or the Netherlands.

This week the Head of the NHS in England publishes a review of his five year plan for the health service and hopes to close this gap in survival rates with a push for better early detection of cancers in England and a 28 day target for diagnosis.

Nick Robinson, who had cancer himself, returned to a chemotherapy suite to talk to current patients about their diagnosis.

Fran Woodward, director of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support says targets are not the answer. Although survival rates have improved, late diagnosis is still a big problem.

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14 minutes

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