THE latest government targets for the NHS, which aim to reduce waiting times and improve access to cancer treatment, come into force across Scotland this week.
From today, health boards must begin to cut the maximum wait for cancer patients, between making the decision to refer and the initial treatment, to 31 days, to be in place by December 2011.
They must also reduce the maximum wait for outpatient and inpatient or day case treatment to 12 weeks, with a deadline of March 2010.
The previous targets were two months for all cancers apart from breast cancer and children's cancers, which were one month.
Elspeth Atkinson, Scottish director of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "In some cases, speedy treatment can make a difference to someone's chance of surviving cancer."
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