'My cancer spread while I waited months for surgery': The cost of England's cancer wait times

Alan was diagnosed with lung cancer after a nodule was found in June last year.

The 70-year-old was meant to be operated on within weeks but ended up waiting nearly five months, by which time the cancer had spread, making his surgery more complex.

"I was so frustrated and angry and couldn't understand why they would leave me like that," says Alan.

On two occasions, scans were cancelled because machines had broken and for weeks he heard little or nothing from the hospital about when he would eventually have the urgent surgery.

Alan is one of thousands each month in England who are not being treated within the target timeframe.

Earlier this year, the government's National Cancer Plan, along with the NHS Planning Guidance, set out that 80% of patients in England would start treatment within 62 days from urgent GP referral by March 2027. This was to reach 85% by March 2029.

But in the months since the government announced this ambition, performance has got worse, according to NHS England data, not better.

Now, 71.2% of patients start cancer treatment within the 62 day timeframe. Previously it was 71.9%.