Barely a quarter of cancer patients have easy access to ­lifesaving radiotherapy treatment, a damning report has warned.

Chronic underfunding and a lack of planning have left services in England languishing far behind other countries, it said.

The Radiotherapy UK report also claimed hospital equipment is not up to scratch, with 36 out-of-date treatment machines in England that currently need replacing.

Campaigners are now urging the Government to invest more in radiotherapy and increase services.

According to the report, the accepted standard is that 50 percent of cancer patients in the UK should have easy access to radiotherapy as part of their primary treatment.

But in England just 24 to 27 percent are able to access treatment within the NHS England 45-minute travel time target.

This means some 3.4 million ­people live further away from a treatment centre than the ­recommended distance.

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Professor Pat Price, a leading oncologist and chair of Radiotherapy UK, said: “Our analysis reveals the shocking truth that frontline staff have long been telling us – the UK is desperately trailing other nations in providing life-saving radiotherapy treatments, crucial for half of all cancer patients.

“This is jeopardising cancer ­survival rates because radiotherapy is one of our most curative and hi-tech cancer treatments.

“People in this country would be shocked to learn that radiotherapy, one of our best solutions to tackle record cancer waiting times, is also one of our most overlooked and chronically underfunded cancer treatments.

“I urge the Government to get around the table with me and my colleagues and get a plan for world class radiotherapy.” The Daily Express Radiotherapy Campaign is demanding new machines to handle rising cancer rates, satellite centres to slash journey times and more radiotherapists.

To do this, the service will need a £1billion boost over five years.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We are committed to fighting cancer and, since 2016, have invested £162million into cutting-edge radiotherapy equipment to upgrade more than 100 treatment machines.

“More than 124,000 radiotherapy treatments were given in the 12 months to April 2023, with 90 per cent treated within 31 days.”

l Artificial intelligence is set to be rolled out more widely across the NHS in a bid to diagnose diseases and treat patients faster, it has been revealed.

The Government has announced a £21million funding pot that NHS trusts can apply for to bring in AI programmes.

The technology includes tools that can analyse chest X-rays in suspected cases of lung cancer.

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