Wednesday, 04 February 2026
Experts from the University of Nottingham lead on the Government’s cancer plan to prioritise childhood cancer care and improve diagnosis times for childhood cancer.
The National Cancer Plan was published by the Government today on World Cancer Day (4 February). It sets out targeted actions to reduce lives lost to one of the biggest killers, continue improving survival rates, and improve the experience of patients along their cancer journey.
It also includes specific actions for rarer cancers and those affecting children and young people.
To support this work, the government re-launched the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce last year after tireless campaigning from Charlotte Fairall, with Dame Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave appointed as its Co-Chairs, alongside Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel, from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham as Vice-Chair.
The taskforce has brought together the country’s top experts to set out plans to improve treatment, detection and research for cancer in children and young people, which has fed into the national plan.
Dr Shanmugavadivel says: “The launch of this National Cancer Plan is a landmark moment, as for the first time in the country’s history there is a chapter specifically for children and young people highlighting the government’s pledge to prioritise child health. What makes it even more special is that it has been shaped by the entire paediatric oncology community and most after importantly listening to children, young people and their families. Within the Chapter, we specifically look at the Child Cancer Smart campaign led by CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association, which aims to promote earlier diagnosis, through awareness and education of the public and healthcare professionals, which was a priority that came through in the Call for Evidence”
A team of researchers from Nottingham published the Childhood Cancer Diagnosis Study last year which found that young people suffering from certain types of cancer, such as bone tumours, are experiencing lengthy times to diagnosis.
“Thanks to this study, for the first time, we understand the current landscape of childhood cancer diagnosis in the UK. Earliest possible diagnosis is key as time is crucial. Untreated, tumours grow bigger and can spread around the body, requiring more extensive surgery and more intensive therapies to offer cure. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to use this data and the BRIGHTLIGHT data from Dr Lorna Fern’s team at UCLH through the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to inform commitments for this plan which will accelerate accurate diagnoses for children and young people aged up to 24,” adds Dr Shanmugavadivel.
Ashley Ball-Gamble, Chief Executive of The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association, said: “Along with our partners at Young Lives vs Cancer, we’ve been calling for a Children & Young People’s Cancer Plan for several years, so we’re pleased to see that a focus on children and young people has been a priority in developing the National Cancer Plan.
“The plan’s commitment to both speeding up diagnosis – building on the research and recommendations of CCLG’s own Child Cancer Smart awareness campaign – and the prioritising of funding for children and young people’s cancer research, represent a positive step forward to improving both outcomes and experiences.
“We’re looking forward to playing our part in setting the plan into action and seeing the life-saving and life-changing impact it will have for children and young people with cancer.”
The commitments included in the plan are a direct result of the entire paediatric oncology community - clinicians, researchers, charities, children, young people and their families - coming together to highlight crucial gaps that need addressing when a child or young person aged 0-24 is diagnosed with cancer.
The children and young person chapter takes a holistic approach, spanning the entire patient journey from ensuring earliest possible accurate diagnoses within primary and secondary care, to parity of access to clinical trials and genomic testing and prioritising children and young people cancer research and data collection.
We are thrilled that this plan also places the child, young person and their families at the heart of it, committing to better psychosocial support including youth worker support for young people, improving access to high quality food and providing families with financial support through the travel fund."
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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