Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance records highest ever level of cancers diagnosed at an early stage
Early diagnosis of cancer across Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance (SSCA) has reached its highest level ever recorded, according to latest data.
Across all cancer types, 60.8% of cancers diagnosed across the cancer alliance footprint were identified at an early stage (stage 1 and stage 2). This represents an improvement of 3.1 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels and is higher than the early diagnosis rate for England which is 58.7% (Rapid Cancer Registration Data October 2023 to September 2024).
Overall, the volume of cancers diagnosed across the SSCA footprint at an early stage has increased by approximately 2,500, from 6,300 to 8,800 per year.
Cancer staging is the extent of cancer in the body at the time of diagnosis and helps doctors determine the best treatment options.
“This is really positive news as diagnosing cancer at an early stage widens the treatment options available and can improve outcomes for patients,” says the SSCA’s early diagnosis programme director, Stephanie Bell. “The increase in the number of cancers caught earlier is due to several factors such as local and national campaigns encouraging people to be aware of symptoms and come forward to their GP, local education for healthcare professionals to improve cancer symptom recognition, and innovations such as the symptomatic Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) and the Targeted Lung Health Check.”
This week, the Targeted Lung Health Check programmes across the SSCA footprint reached a milestone – 200 patients diagnosed with lung cancer since the project first started in Sussex in July 2022, three quarters at an early stage.
One of those patients diagnosed with lung cancer through the Targeted Lung Health Check was 59-year-old Ginnie Walker from Crawley. She underwent a lobectomy in March 2024 at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, which removed the tumour completely. As it was caught at stage one, she didn’t need further treatment, like chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and is now cancer-free – and has stopped smoking.
Ginnie urges others to take up the lung health check invitation:
“If you receive an invite for a lung health check, please just go for the scan. They won’t judge you. Go for your loved ones.” Read her story here: SSCA/Ginnie Walker
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