Approximately 5,000 lives could be saved every year in England if fresh cancer strategies are pushed through the NHS.

 Some health experts are arguing that new strategies on guidelines that result in a cancer diagnosis are desperately needed. The health watchdog NICE is spearheading the initiatives, saying something needs to be done to reverse the shocking cancer survival rates in England.

Mark Baker, professor at NICE, has said the initiatives would save a "tangible number" of lives and that “throughout the history of European cancer statistics Britain has lagged behind the best European countries.

"The main reason for that is that people tend to present with a cancer at a more advanced stage…this guideline specifically addresses that shortfall. We estimate it will save about 5,000 lives a year.”

The new guidelines that are being proposed make several vital changes to the current system of diagnosing cancer in England.

Sarah Hiom, from Cancer UK has said that “we know the strain the NHS is already under and the number of people diagnosed with cancer is increasing - further investment is essential in order to support this much needed shift in investigative testing.

"Research would indicate we do fewer diagnostic tests in this country than comparable countries, but there are a lack of workforce, perhaps a lack of kit, to do those tests, so patients may be missing out because there are delays, backlogs or bottlenecks and this really does need to be addressed."

According to the study by Macmillan Cancer Support, chances of surviving common cancers in the UK, including breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and lung cancer, lag at least one decade behind many comparable European countries.

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