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Nearly half of UK cancer patients are missing out on crucial treatment-guiding biomarker tests or waiting over a month for results, according to new research by AstraZeneca and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Published in Future Oncology, the study surveyed 97 patients and 101 healthcare professionals (HCPs), revealing that 48 per cent of patients were unsure if they had received biomarker tests, while 57 per cent reported long waits for results.

Eighty-five percent of HCPs said these delays affected their ability to prescribe targeted therapies recommended by NICE and the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Barriers cited included long turnaround times, workforce shortages and lack of training. Campaigners warn this risks denying patients access to precision medicines that could improve survival.

The report calls for increased staffing, digital infrastructure and plain-language patient information to ensure equitable access to timely biomarker testing across the UK.