The NHS' cancer services are in need of further funding to cope with a 50% increase in demand, according to a report from Cancer Research UK.
The report highlighted the fact that the number of patients being diagnosed with Cancer has increased by 50% since 2009-10, with over 1.4 million patients referred by their GP with suspected cancer.
The recent changes to the structure of the NHS were viewed by the staff surveyed as having had little impact to the treatment of cancer. As part of the report, 45 staff were interviewed by telephone and 465 by an online survey.
The majority of cancer treatment targets have been met, although there has been a decrease in the number of people going from referral to treatment within the 62 day target from the 86% target to 84.4%. In the same time period the number of patients being treated increased from 23,512 to 30,967.
Some of the decline in the amount of patients being seen within this target was connected by those interviewed to an increase in the treatment of certain cancers. Some cancers require longer time periods for the necessary procedures to be carried out, such as prostate cancer.
Projected increases in the number of cancer patients have led to the calls for further funding.
Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK said, "More people are surviving cancer than ever before - survival rates in the UK have doubled in the last 40 years because research is delivering better diagnosis and treatments. But the number of cases is also going up as the UK population ages.
"This combination means we'll be diagnosing more people, treating more people and helping more people recover from cancer in coming decades. The NHS will need to be fit to meet that purpose and that needs increased investment, planning and leadership now."
Mike Hobday, director of policy and research at Macmillan Cancer Support, said, "The NHS Reforms have made commissioning much more complex. Today numerous organisations in each local area are responsible for commissioning different aspects of cancer care."
He added, "England already has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe so we cannot afford to see cancer care forgotten."
