Senior doctors warn that patients with cancer face a "tick time bomb" for diagnosis and treatment because the NHS is too short to provide timely care.

The shortage of radiologists and oncologists within the NHS range means patients are waiting for surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy for prolonged periods and are subject to consultants to review their care.

Royal Radiologists (RCR) say that holding cancer causes the spread of some people, which can reduce the chance of treatment and increase the risk of death.

NHS cancer services are working to keep up with the growing demand for testing, such as scanning and X-rays and treatments caused by a growing number of patients.

Evidence of RCR collected from the head of the NHS Cancer Centre in the UK shows that potential “life-saving” care may be delayed due to “chronic” workforce gaps.

All radiology bosses surveyed said that in 2024, their units were unable to scan all patients within the maximum waiting time of the NHS because they did not have enough staff.

"The delay in cancer diagnosis and treatment will inevitably mean that for some patients, their cancer will progress while they wait, making successful treatment more difficult and risking survival," said RCR President Dr. Katharine Halliday.

These findings are particularly worrying, as the study found that patients may have an increase in their risk of death by about 10% as they have to wait for treatment.

Nine out of 10 cancer centers said patients started receiving treatment last year, while seven out of 10 patients said they were worried that the staff gap would put patient safety at risk.

Halliday added: "The government must train more radiologists and oncologists to disband this ticking time bomb for cancer diagnosis and treatment."

A cancer service chief said patients with suspected bladder or prostate cancer faced prolonged treatment, with more than 1,500 patients having to wait longer than the follow-up date they should have to review their treatment and staff felt “burned.”

Other doctors also said:

• “Our breast radiation therapy wait time is now the worst I have in 20 years.”

• “Currently waiting for head and neck cancer (IS) for six weeks, which means that there may be progress before radiation therapy.”

• “Awaiting palliative care for multiple weeks can sometimes lead to deterioration, which is no longer possible.”

In two reports published Thursday, RCR said some cancer centers had so short staff that they would get patients treated at nearby hospitals faster under the Mutual Aid protocol. It added that radiologists and clinical oncologists face “unsustainable” workloads.

RCR found that the stress of engaging in over-strength cancer services was so high that doctors quit when they were young, and some even did so in their 30s.

Genevieve Edwards, UK CEO of bowel cancer, said: "If diagnosed earlier, the disease can be treated, but too many patients face prolonged delays after symptomatic GP to start treatment. These delays can lead to the spread of the cancer, making successful treatment even more successful."

The Ministry of Health and Social Care acknowledges that too many patients face delays.

"The government inherited a broken NHS, with too many cancer patients waiting for treatment for too long, but through our change program, we are determined to address the delay, diagnose cancer earlier and treat cancer faster," a spokesperson said.

“We offer 40,000 appointments a week, invest £1.5 billion in new surgical hubs and AI scanners, launch cutting-edge radiotherapy machines to every region of the country and support our radiologists and oncologists to rise in inflation for the second consecutive year.

“After this year, we will also release a refreshed workforce program to ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places to provide the care the patients need.”