Responding to the latest NHS Wales Cancer Waiting Times figures, Hannah Buckingham, Senior External Affairs Adviser, said:
“Today’s data is yet more evidence that who you are and where you live continues to shape people’s experience of cancer significantly — and that must change. While there have been improvements in cancer waiting times in Wales compared to last year, there are still far too many people at risk of dangerously long delays for essential cancer tests and treatment.
“Behind the figures are real people. Long waiting times can leave people feeling uncertainty and anxiety, worried about whether they have cancer or when their treatment will begin.
“The Welsh Government must make cancer an urgent priority. With the Senedd elections fast approaching, it’s vital our politicians make progress on the promises outlined in the Cancer Improvement Plan. People in Wales deserve the best cancer care the UK has to offer, regardless of postcode or background, and they deserve it now.”
“Today’s data is yet more evidence that who you are and where you live continues to shape people’s experience of cancer significantly — and that must change. While there have been improvements in cancer waiting times in Wales compared to last year, there are still far too many people at risk of dangerously long delays for essential cancer tests and treatment.
“Behind the figures are real people. Long waiting times can leave people feeling uncertainty and anxiety, worried about whether they have cancer or when their treatment will begin.
“The Welsh Government must make cancer an urgent priority. With the Senedd elections fast approaching, it’s vital our politicians make progress on the promises outlined in the Cancer Improvement Plan. People in Wales deserve the best cancer care the UK has to offer, regardless of postcode or background, and they deserve it now.”
Fact box
- Macmillan’s analysis of the latest official NHS data shows that performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales was better in May compared with both the previous month and the same month last year. Despite this, the target was still missed by a substantial margin, showing NHS cancer services in Wales remain under intense pressure(i).
- In May, more than 750 people with cancer in Wales waited too long to start treatment(ii)
- The proportion of people who waited too long varied from 30% to 49% across local health boards in Wales(iii)
- Waiting times also vary considerably depending on which type of cancer people have. For example, in May 2025 only 34% of people with urological cancer and 36% of those with gynaecological cancer started their treatment within 62 days from first being suspected of having cancer, compared with 67% of those with breast cancer and 90% of those with skin cancer(iv)
- Previous analysis by Macmillan shows that despite some recent improvements the national cancer waiting times target was missed again in Wales in 2024 as a whole, and average monthly performance in 2024 was still worse than when the target was first introduced in 2021(v)
- Other recent analysis by Macmillan shows people who lived in the most deprived areas of Wales in 2024 were over 1.5 times more likely to die from cancer than people who lived in the least deprived areas after adjusting for age, and the gap is currently bigger than it was 20 years ago, even though the overall cancer mortality rate has fallen over this time(vi)
References
[i] Figures based on Suspected Cancer Pathways data from StatsWales, accessed 24th July 2025. In May 2025, 61.3% of people with cancer in Wales (1,194 out of 1,947) started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer (target: 75%). Performance in May 2025 was higher than in May 2024 (56.9%)
[ii] As per reference 1. In May 2025 there were 753 people with cancer in Wales who waited more than 62 days to start treatment from first being suspected of having cancer
[iii] As per reference 1. Performance ranged from 51.2% for the Betsi Cadwaladr local health board to 69.6% for Cardiff and Vale. Performance figures are not usually reported for Powys as people with suspected cancer in this local health board area are usually referred to another area for cancer tests and treatments
[iv] As per reference 1
[v] Figures based on Suspected Cancer Pathways data from StatsWales, accessed 20th February 2025. Average performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales in 2024 was 57.6%, compared with 56.2% in 2023, 56.2% in 2022 and 63.3% in 2021
[vi] Public Health Wales. Cancer mortality in Wales. Accessed June 2025. In 2024 cancer mortality rates were 52% higher in the most deprived areas of Wales compared with the least deprived, and 147% higher for lung cancer in particular. In contrast, in 2004 cancer mortality rates were 39% higher in the most deprived areas of Wales compared with the least deprived. Refers to European age-standardised rates for single years; using the three-year rolling average to compare 2002–2004 and 2022–2024 shows a very similar pattern.
[ii] As per reference 1. In May 2025 there were 753 people with cancer in Wales who waited more than 62 days to start treatment from first being suspected of having cancer
[iii] As per reference 1. Performance ranged from 51.2% for the Betsi Cadwaladr local health board to 69.6% for Cardiff and Vale. Performance figures are not usually reported for Powys as people with suspected cancer in this local health board area are usually referred to another area for cancer tests and treatments
[iv] As per reference 1
[v] Figures based on Suspected Cancer Pathways data from StatsWales, accessed 20th February 2025. Average performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales in 2024 was 57.6%, compared with 56.2% in 2023, 56.2% in 2022 and 63.3% in 2021
[vi] Public Health Wales. Cancer mortality in Wales. Accessed June 2025. In 2024 cancer mortality rates were 52% higher in the most deprived areas of Wales compared with the least deprived, and 147% higher for lung cancer in particular. In contrast, in 2004 cancer mortality rates were 39% higher in the most deprived areas of Wales compared with the least deprived. Refers to European age-standardised rates for single years; using the three-year rolling average to compare 2002–2004 and 2022–2024 shows a very similar pattern.