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Five days instead of three weeks: the radiotherapy trial now past 1,000 patients

Qurexa Editorial Team2 November 20267 min read 0 0
Five days instead of three weeks: the radiotherapy trial now past 1,000 patients

What happened

The government has set out a package of new work on breast cancer, including a trial that could cut weeks off a common treatment. The announcement was made on 30 October 2026 by the Department of Health and Social Care. It has several parts. First, a government-funded radiotherapy trial called FAST-Forward Boost has now passed 1,000 participants. The trial is testing whether radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery can be shortened from three weeks to five days, with an extra targeted dose aimed at lowering the chance of the cancer coming back. If it works, patients could be spared around 10 hospital visits. The trial runs at 39 hospitals and aims to recruit 4,830 people by 2028. Participants are followed for five years, and results are expected in 2033. Second, Ashley Dalton MP has been appointed as an adviser on delivering the National Cancer Plan for England. Ms Dalton is living with secondary breast cancer that has spread. She stepped down as a health minister on 2 March 2026. Her role is to flag where delivery is falling behind, and to look at whether patients' quality of life and experience are genuinely improving. Third, the government, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and NHS England are running trials of artificial intelligence to help analyse mammograms, the X-ray scans used in breast screening. Yvette Cooper, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: "Better cancer care also means listening to those who know what it means to live with it."

Why this matters

Shortening treatment is not a small thing. Ten fewer hospital trips means less time off work, less money spent on parking and petrol, and less disruption for families and carers. For someone who lives in a village and does not drive, it can be the difference between a treatment plan that is manageable and one that is exhausting. The screening figures in the announcement tell their own story. Uptake among women invited for the first time has reached 63.6 per cent. That is the highest in the past decade, which is genuinely good news. But it also means around 4 in 10 women invited for the first time do not attend. That gap matters because of when cancer is found. According to figures from the charity Breast Cancer Now, quoted in the announcement, about 30 per cent of female breast cancers in England are picked up through screening, and mostly at an early stage. Five-year survival is almost 100 per cent when breast cancer is found at stage 1. At stage 4, it is 32 per cent. That is the clearest argument for opening the letter when it arrives.

What the evidence actually says

It is worth being careful about what is proven and what is still being tested. The FAST-Forward Boost trial is a trial. Reaching 1,000 participants is a recruitment milestone, not a result. The researchers do not expect results until 2033, because they need to follow people for five years to see whether the shorter course is as good at stopping the cancer returning. Professor Anna Kirby, the trial's chief investigator, called the 1,000 figure "a fantastic milestone" - which is a statement about progress, not about outcomes. So nobody should expect a five-day radiotherapy course to be offered as standard this year. If you are having radiotherapy now, your plan is based on what is already known to work. The AI mammogram work is also at trial stage. Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the department's Chief Scientific Adviser, framed this as part of tackling the biggest causes of death. Again, trials come before routine use. What is already established is the screening evidence. The survival difference between stage 1 and stage 4 is not a prediction. It reflects what has already happened to many thousands of women. Rachael Franklin, Deputy Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Now, put it plainly: "the earlier breast cancer is found the more likely treatment is to be successful." The National Cancer Plan also carries a target: by 2035, 3 in 4 people diagnosed with cancer should be cancer free or living well five years after diagnosis. That is an ambition, not a current figure.

Qurexa perspective

We deliver prescriptions across Lincolnshire, and a fair number go to people going through cancer treatment or taking long-term hormone tablets afterwards. What we hear most often is not about the medicine itself. It is about tiredness, and about the sheer number of journeys. Someone part-way through radiotherapy, or dealing with the side effects of tablets they will take for years, often has very little energy left for a trip to collect a prescription. That is the part we can genuinely help with. If having repeat medicines brought to the door removes one errand from a difficult week, that is worth something. It does not change the treatment, and we would never suggest it does. But it can take one thing off the list. If you would find that useful, you can ask us. If a different pharmacy already delivers to you and it works well, stay with them.

Practical advice

1. Go when you are invited for screening. In England, women are invited for breast screening between the ages of 50 and 71. If you have missed an invitation, you can usually contact your local breast screening service and ask about an appointment. 2. Do not wait for a letter if something has changed. Screening is for people without symptoms. If you notice a new lump, a change in the shape or skin of a breast, or discharge from a nipple, contact your GP. Most changes turn out not to be cancer, but they should be checked. 3. Remember men can get breast cancer too. It is much less common, but it happens. The same advice applies: get a new lump or change looked at. 4. Ask about trials if you are being treated. If you are having treatment for breast cancer, it is reasonable to ask your team whether any trial is open to you. Taking part is always your choice, and saying no does not affect your care. 5. Be honest about side effects. If tablets are making you feel awful, say so rather than quietly stopping. Your team or pharmacist may be able to adjust things.

What to know

On 30 October 2026, the government announced a set of measures on breast cancer. A radiotherapy trial testing a five-day course instead of three weeks has passed 1,000 participants, across 39 hospitals, with a recruitment target of 4,830 by 2028 and results expected in 2033. Ashley Dalton MP, who is living with secondary breast cancer, has been appointed as an adviser on the National Cancer Plan. Trials of AI to help read mammograms are under way. First-time screening uptake is 63.6 per cent, the highest in a decade, but around 4 in 10 women invited for the first time still do not attend. Breast Cancer Now figures show five-year survival is almost 100 per cent at stage 1, compared with 32 per cent at stage 4. The shorter radiotherapy course and the AI tools are not yet standard care. The screening message, however, is already well evidenced: going when invited gives the best chance of finding anything early. Sources: GOV.UK (Department of Health and Social Care), "Government steps up action on breast cancer", 30 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-up-action-on-breast-cancer; NHS, "Breast screening (mammogram)", https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-screening-mammogram/; NHS England, Breast Screening Programme, England, 2024 to 2025 (uptake figures, as cited by the Department of Health and Social Care). This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.

#breast cancer#screening#radiotherapy#NHS#cancer plan#early diagnosis

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