[Thursday 12th February]
The Pelvic Radiation Disease Association (PRDA) welcomes the priority given to quality of life alongside survival in the new National Cancer Plan for England but warns that greater investment in NHS staff training and dedicated services for long term consequences of cancer treatment are urgently needed, so that all parts of the country can benefit from better health outcomes.
PRDA recognises the ambition outlined in the 2026 Cancer Plan for England on early cancer diagnosis, treatment innovation, and survival. However, we will have to wait to see how Neighbourhood Health Care, the new Cancer Manuals and research initiatives might lead to better services for long‑term consequences of pelvic radiotherapy, which affect an estimated 100,000 people in the UK.
Pelvic Radiation Disease (PRD) impacts quality of life due to multiple chronic symptoms such as severe bowel dysfunction, incontinence, infertility, pelvic pain, sexual difficulties, and fatigue. These symptoms often emerge months or years after cancer treatment and are frequently misdiagnosed or dismissed, leaving people struggling with poor health, and trapped in cycles of GP visits, emergency admissions, and unnecessary investigations.
Despite previous government commitments to personalised cancer care, access to specialist PRD services remain very patchy. Where services do exist, outcomes improve and long‑term costs fall – as evidenced in the South West Radiotherapy Late Effects Services (SWRLES) Evaluation Report (2025). Where they do not, patients continue to endure poor health unnecessarily.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) have made joint calls for urgent investment in acute and supportive oncology services. They emphasise the need for a more joined-up, fully funded approach to cancer care across the entire patient pathway, from diagnosis and treatment through to long-term recovery and survivorship.
What the 2026 Cancer Plan means in practice
The Cancer Plan rightly emphasises:
- Living well, with and beyond cancer
- Care closer to home
- Reducing health inequalities
- Improving health service efficiency.
The 2026 Cancer Plan presents a crucial opportunity to end the invisibility of PRD and ensure that people are supported to live with dignity, health, and independence after cancer treatment.
What PRDA believes is needed to meet these goals
- Explicit recognition of Pelvic Radiation Disease as a condition affecting significant numbers of people after cancer treatment
- Better information for patients before, during and after treatment
- Routine screening for PRD symptoms following pelvic radiotherapy
- Equitable access to specialist PRD services in every region
- Training for GPs, gastroenterology professionals and oncology teams to recognise late effects early
- Robust data collection on late effects of cancer treatment.
Failing to address the needs of people affected by PRD will undermine the Plan’s stated ambitions on quality of life, and will continue to cause avoidable pressures on the NHS.
The Pelvic Radiation Disease Association stands ready to work with the NHS, policymakers, and health professionals to ensure equitable, high quality care is provided that truly reflects people’s lived experience of the devastating symptoms of PRD.
Responses to the National Cancer Plan
“I am honoured and extremely proud to be representing people affected by Pelvic Radiation Disease (PRD) on the cover of the new Cancer Plan for England and knowing that it will be around for many years to come makes it even more special. Being a cancer survivor and living with long term side effects for almost 20 years means I know just how important it is to get it right from the very beginning.
Having a prompt diagnosis and a personalised cancer plan will make sure every patient is heard and will receive the support they need, and my hope is that this will be not only be through the diagnosis and treatment stage but will also continue into the years that follow. It is so important that we have long term plans to help cancer survivors fit into normal life and deliver the best possible quality of life going forward.
To be able to have a clinical nurse specialist talk you through the risks of treatment and answer concerns you have means you can fully understand the long term effects before starting treatment. But it’s also vitally important that you have access to doctors with the right knowledge of PRD post treatment, so you don’t have to fight for a diagnosis with future health concerns, your cancer journey will have been recognised, and you’ll feel heard and listened to.
Once you’re given the all clear, the diagnosis never leaves you, even years after it has all ended. Life has forever changed. But being offered support and the right resources, including from mental health teams and charities such as the Pelvic Radiation Disease Association , can help you navigate a way through and find a new fulfilling future.
Support from charities like PRDA is invaluable and plays a vital role in life after cancer; providing the right resources and guidance to help you navigate life while managing the long-term effects of cancer. Being able to connect with people who have had similar experiences helps you realise that you are not alone.”
Amy – Living with PRD
“When it comes to cancer treatment, the possible long-term effects of that treatment are often not the focus. The primary aim is obviously the fight against the cancer. However, it is very important to prepare patients for what comes after the treatment. In my late-effects clinic in Oxford, I often see patients who were unprepared for these new symptoms and the significant impact these have on quality of life. Often, there is no need for fancy tests or treatment, and some adjustments of diet and lifestyle are sufficient to get cancer survivors better, together with a better understanding of their condition. The new National Cancer Plan for England acknowledges the need for better survivor care, and it is now important that resources are made available to facilitate training and interdisciplinary units to look after those who are struggling with post-treatment symptoms.”
Dr Jan Bornschein, Consultant Gastroenterologist – PRDA Medical Advisor
“A diagnosis of cancer is difficult enough but should not mean having to live with bowel, bladder, sexual, and pelvic damage as a consequence of treatment. It is very encouraging that the Cancer Plan talks about improving quality of life, but it is not yet clear how people with Pelvic Radiation Disease (PRD) will be supported. The Pelvic Radiation Disease Association (PRDA) will continue to call for improved patient information, staff training and accessible services for Pelvic Radiation Disease, while we continue to support people living with PRD. We look forward to working collaboratively with the NHS and it’s partners to improve the daily lives of people living with PRD and reduce the need for hospital admission.”
Elaine Burgess – PRDA Chair
Have your say. Tell us how you hope the National Cancer Plan will shape future services for people living with Pelvic Radiation Disease.