The NHS in England must get better at diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage if it is to improve survival rates, the cancer tsar has said.
Professor Mike Richards wants more focus on one-year survival rates, an indication cancer is spotted at a treatable stage.
His latest report, which has received the support of Health Secretary Andy Burnham, has revealed local survival rates for the first time.
Nearly all trusts failed to match the best rates elsewhere in Europe for the "big four" cancers - breast, colon, lung and prostate. There was also a great deal of variation. For example, the one-year survival rate for lung cancer patients in Herefordshire was just 15.4%, compared to Kensington and Chelsea's rate of 43.7%. The national average of 28.1%.
Professor Richards described the findings as "poor" and urged trusts to take action, saying it could save 10,000 lives a year.
