The survival rate of cancer patients in Oldham a year after receiving their diagnosis is still on the rise, new figures have shown.

However, it comes as early diagnosis rates are yet to hit the government's target of 75 per cent of cancer cases to be detected at stage one or two by 2028.

NHS Digital figures show 71.8 per cent of people living in the NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group area survived the first year after their cancer diagnosis in 2019.

This was an increase from 71.1 per cent the previous year and up from 59.4 per cent in 2004, when records began.

This means since 2004, the number has increased by more than 11 per cent.

The figures do not include patients with prostate and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Despite the continuing rise, Oldham remains below the national number.

Across England, one-year survival rates have risen since 2004 from 64.4 per cent to 74.6 per cent.

As for early detections of cancer in Oldham, 52.7 per cent of all cancer diagnoses in 2019 were classified as stage one or two, up from 51.5 per cent in 2013.

The government's target of detecting 75 per cent of cancer cases at early stages remains a work in progress, with separate NHS Digital figures showing just 55 per cent of cancers were detected at earlier stages in 2019.

The figures are the latest available.

Earlier this year, health secretary Sajid Javid declared a "national war on cancer" and announced a 10-year strategy to tackle the illness would be published.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "We recognise that business as usual on cancer is not enough – that’s why we have redoubled our efforts and are developing a 10-Year Cancer Plan to set out how we will lead the world in cancer care."

The hope that effort towards fighting cancer will improve is dented by the fact the NHS is dealing with staff shortages.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned the shortages could jeopardise early cancer diagnosis and that cancer survival could "go into reverse" if early diagnoses were missed.

Oldham's CCG were unable to provide a comment on the statistics.