Publisher Health

Cancer waiting times for 2023 in England were the worst on record, a BBC News analysis reveals.

Just 64.1% of patients started treatment within 62 days of cancer being suspected, meaning nearly 100,000 waited longer than they should for life-saving care.

The waits have worsened every year for the past 11.

The figures follow Monday’s announcement the King had started treatment after his cancer diagnosis.

He has been treated in a private hospital, after the cancer was spotted following treatment for an enlarged prostate at the end of last month.

The records go back to 2010, shortly after the cancer target was introduced.

Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive Gemma Peters called the figures “shocking”.

“These alarming figures mark a new low and highlight the desperate situation for people living with cancer,” she said.

“Behind the figures are real lives being turned upside down, with thousands of people waiting far too long to find out if they have cancer and to begin their treatment, causing additional anxiety at what is already a very difficult time.

“With over three million people in the UK living with cancer and an ageing population, this is only set to rise.”

Other parts of the UK have also been struggling on cancer waiting times.

It is more than a decade since Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland have hit their 62-day cancer targets.

Data analysis by Megan Riddell