When the first Cancer Plan was published in 2000 it promised progress on cancer prevention, research and services over the next ten years.
The ultimate target was to reduce the number of cancer deaths by 25 per cent by 2010, by improving patient care, addressing inequalities and planning for the future.
At the heart of the plan, drawn up by National Cancer Director Professor Mike Richards, were three pledges:
* To reduce smoking in adults from 28 per cent to 24 per cent by 2010, and to address the gap in different socio-economic groups in smoking rates and resulting risks of cancer and heart disease;
* To reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatments - the ultimate goal being no-one should wait more than a month from an urgent referral to starting treatment;
* For an extra £50 million NHS investment by 2004 for hospices and specialist palliative care, to improve access to these services across the UK.
Certainly cancer services have improved enormously since this plan was introduced - with waitingtimes reduced, diagnostics improved and more patients able to access specialist services.
It also established 34 cancer networks of local NHS trusts and specialists, which have helped improve the introduction of new drugs and developed a more effective approach to funding palliative care.
The plan also vowed to end the "postcode lottery" many patients faced in accessing new drugs and therapies, stating it was "unacceptable that getting access to new and effective drugs has depended on where people live rather than their clinical need."
