Treatment and Care

Variation in cancer treatment and care can happen for many reasons, including differences in local services, patient needs, and how care is delivered across the region. Whilst some variation is expected and clinically appropriate, our goal is to ensure that all patients receive high-quality, timely, and consistent care, regardless of where they live or receive treatment.

Our Treatment and Care Steering Group brings together clinical leaders, service managers, and system partners to drive continuous improvement across the region.  This group plays a central role in identifying opportunities for improvement and leading positive change. Its key activities include benchmarking and auditing services, integrating care through the health and care system, fostering innovation and helping to ensure that capacity meets demand through collaborative planning.

We place a particular focus on four outcome-based tumour groups where days matter: pancreatic, head and neck, bladder, and lung cancers. These cancers often progress quickly, so reducing delays in diagnosis and treatment is critical to improving survival and quality of life. In addition, we continue to prioritise other key areas such as skin, breast and other urological and gastro-intestinal cancers, focusing on ensuring patients receive timely, appropriate, and equitable treatment across the North East and North Cumbria.

Faster Diagnosis Standards

We know that waiting for a diagnosis can be one of the most stressful parts of a cancer journey. That’s why the NHS introduced the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS). This means that anyone referred urgently for suspected cancer should be told whether they have cancer or not within 28 days. This helps patients start treatment sooner or get peace of mind more quickly. We contribute to this standard by working with hospitals, GPs, and diagnostic services to streamline pathways and improve communication.

Learn more about the Faster Diagnosis Standard here.

Best Practice Timed Pathways

To help meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard, NHS England have developed Best Practice Timed Pathways (BPTPs). These are detailed guides that outline the ideal sequence and timing of tests, appointments, and treatments. We work with our Trusts to implement these in the most appropriate and effective way, for our patients and system.

These pathways help reduce delays, improve patient experience, and ensure consistent care across the country. They are developed by clinical experts and are regularly updated to reflect the latest evidence and innovations.

You can find the tumour specific pathways here.

Treatment Types

Cancer treatment is tailored to each person and may involve one or more of the following:

• Surgery: Often used to remove cancer from the body. It can be curative, especially when cancer is found early.
• Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT): This includes:
  • Chemotherapy – drugs that kill cancer cells.
  • Immunotherapy – helps your immune system fight cancer.
  • Hormone therapy – blocks hormones that some cancers need to grow.
• Radiotherapy: Uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells. It can be used alone or alongside other treatments.

Care teams will explain the best options to patients, including possible side effects and what to expect.

You can find out more about cancer treatments here, on the Cancer Research UK website.