The National cancer plan 2026 sets out one of the most ambitious shifts in UK oncology policy in a generation. Its headline aim is clear: by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer in England should be cancer-free or living well five years after diagnosis, compared with around 60% today.
Achieving that target will require progress across the entire cancer landscape. Crucially, the government cancer strategy makes explicit that this ambition cannot be met without sustained improvement in outcomes for rare and less common cancers.
For the life sciences sector, this places rare cancer clinical trials at the centre of national delivery.
Rare cancers: a disproportionate impact on survival
Rare and less common cancers account for around half of all cancer diagnoses in England, yet they are responsible for a disproportionate share of cancer deaths. The National Cancer Plan is clear that survival for many of these cancers has improved little over recent decades.
The plan identifies several contributing factors:
- historically lower research investment in rare cancers
- poorer data availability and visibility
- diagnostic challenges and later diagnosis
- slower development and adoption of new therapies
- reduced access to clinical trials
Taken together, these factors have limited progress in rare cancer research and contributed to persistent gaps in outcomes.
A strategic shift in the NHS cancer plan
The NHS cancer plan represents a decisive change in approach. Rare and less common cancers are no longer treated as edge cases but as a core measure of success for the entire system. By 2035, England aims to rank in the top quartile internationally for survival across 14 less common cancers. This is an explicit national ambition, backed by commitments on data, diagnosis, specialist care and research delivery.
Clinical trials are a critical lever in achieving this shift.
Why rare cancer clinical trials are essential
For many rare cancers, clinical trials are not simply an optional research pathway, they are the primary route to:
- generating clinical evidence
- enabling regulatory approval of new therapies
- supporting personalised, genomics-led treatment
- improving equity of access to innovation
The National Cancer Plan acknowledges that without better access to trials, patients with rare cancers will continue to face fewer treatment options and slower progress.
To address this, the National cancer plan 2026 commits to:
- accelerating trial setup and delivery through a Cancer Trials Accelerator
- embedding genomic testing earlier in the pathway to support trial matching
- expanding trial delivery beyond major academic centres
- increasing transparency and accountability for trial access
- prioritising rare cancers within national research funding and strategy
The intent is clear: if rare cancer outcomes are to improve, trial participation must become faster, fairer and more routine.
Clinical trials and the 2035 survival ambition
The plan’s wider ambition is to save an additional 320,000 lives by 2035. Progress in rare cancers is foundational to that goal. For cancers where survival has remained stubbornly low, including several rare and less common tumour types, there is no credible route to improvement without:
- sustained research activity
- efficient trial delivery
- collaboration between the NHS, industry and specialist research partners
Clinical trials underpin not only treatment innovation, but earlier diagnosis, biomarker development and long-term survivorship strategies. Without them, the headline survival targets set out in the government cancer strategy cannot be delivered.
Supporting rare cancer research through specialist trial delivery
Delivering oncology trials in rare indications presents distinct operational and scientific challenges. Smaller patient populations, complex protocols, advanced therapies and tight timelines demand specialist expertise and flexible delivery models.
At Simbec-Orion, we support rare cancer research through the design and delivery of innovative clinical trials in oncology and rare disease. Our experience enables sponsors to navigate complexity while maintaining scientific integrity and regulatory rigour, particularly in areas where evidence generation is most challenging and most needed.
As the NHS cancer plan places increasing emphasis on trials as a route to better outcomes, the role of specialist partners will be critical in translating policy ambition into real-world impact.
Looking ahead
The renewed focus on rare and less common cancers is one of the most important signals within the National cancer plan 2026. It reflects a recognition that national cancer survival goals will only be achieved if progress is made for patients who have historically been left behind.
For patients, it means earlier access to innovation and more equitable care. For sponsors, it signals a clearer and more supportive research environment. For the system, it reinforces a simple truth: rare cancer clinical trials matter, not at the margins, but at the heart of the strategy.
This article is based on the National Cancer Plan for England (February 2026), published by the UK government, which sets out the NHS’s long-term cancer strategy to 2035.
Get in touch
If you are planning or delivering a rare cancer clinical trial and would like to discuss how Simbec-Orion can support your programme, please get in touch or submit an enquiry via our website.