There is much to admire in the ambitious scale of the plan which pledges to meet all cancer waiting time standards by 2029. 

It will be a tall order to meet these, however, with the Nuffield Trust noting the NHS would need to improve at 30 times the rate it has managed since April. 

The plan includes major initiatives to improve treatments and addressing inequalities with £100m provided to cover the travel costs of child patients and a £200m investment in local cancer care, as well as boosting the number of specialists in underserved areas. 

Technology and innovation will play a key role in improving treatment and early diagnosis with an increase in robot-assisted procedures and genomic testing with every patient who could benefit offered a test that analyses the DNA of their cancer. 

There remains much to do to tackle the prevention end of the challenge, however, with more bolder measures required on tackling obesity, smoking and alcohol. 

This urgent need was highlighted by a simultaneous report by the World Health Organization revealing that four in 10 global cancers were preventable. 

A much greater cross-Government approach which tackles the causes and  addresses growing inequalities will be required if we are to finally beat cancer.