Our new lung cancer survival goal – 35 by 35

The UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC) was established in 2005 with a clear mission: to tackle poor lung cancer survival and double five‑year survival by 2015. Thanks to the dedication of clinicians, policymakers, and patient advocates, that ambition was met in England—rising from approximately 8% to 16%—with progress also seen across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

But despite this meaningful improvement, survival rates in the UK continued to lag behind other countries in Europe, plus Australia and Canada – and other cancer types. Recognising the need for continued momentum, UKLCC launched its 25 by 25 strategy in 2016, calling for five‑year survival to reach 25% by 2025.

While we won’t know yet, at our 20th anniversary conference earlier this month, Professor Neal Navani presented modelling of data suggesting we could outperform that goal, with five-year survival potentially reaching 29% (and beyond). While caveats remain, this is a remarkable milestone for the UK lung cancer community.

So where do we go from here? At the conference, the UKLCC unveiled its new ambition: 35 by 35. By 2035, we now want to see 35% of people diagnosed with lung cancer across all four UK nations to be alive five years later. This target will drive our activities over the next decade, ensuring equity of access and improved outcomes UK wide.

Ambition matters. It’s vital that we continue to push for a fully funded expedited roll out of lung cancer screening across England and ensure implementation across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We cannot allow genomic testing turnaround times to run into weeks and it’s imperative we push to meet the recommended target of 14 days from biopsy to full results. Equitable access to optimal care has always been a priority for the UKLCC and we will continue to address the vast health inequalities in our country where lung cancer incidence is twice as high in many deprived areas compared to the least deprived. Lung cancer survivorship and workforce will also focus highly on our agenda over the next 10 years or more.

Having a vision is key. As Michelangelo once said, “The greatest danger is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” 

UKLCC’s latest survival target embodies that spirit—pushing us all to deliver longer, better lives for lung cancer patients. 

David Gilligan, Chair, UKLCC

Walters S, Benitez-Majano S, Muller P, et al., ‘Is England closing the international gap in cancer survival?’ Br J cancer, 4 S 2016, doi: 10.1038/bjc.2015.265

ICBP SurvMark-2 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(19)30456-5/fulltext