How does being diagnosed with leukaemia in hospital affect your outcomes? What is the cost of missed diagnoses in the UK? The Health Economics Unit was commissioned by Leukaemia UK to explore the impact on potential delays on both individuals and the NHS.

Our analysis shows that delayed diagnosis creates hidden costs for both patients and the health system:

• For people diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), delays often mean fragmented care journeys and worse long-term survival.
• For the NHS, delays shift activity into emergency and reactive care, which is more expensive and less efficient. The combined cost of additional activity is estimated at £1.7 million per year (2023/24 prices)

When it comes to survival outcomes, the risks emerge at different times depending on how patients are diagnosed. For those diagnosed in an emergency, the risk is front-loaded, with a sharp spike in mortality immediately after presentation. By contrast, patients with missed diagnostic opportunities do not appear at greater risk in the short term, instead, harm builds gradually, with survival deteriorating over time even if patients initially appear stable.

Our findings make the case for strengthening earlier recognition and referral pathways, so that fewer people fall into either of these high-risk groups and the health system operates more effectively. This is particularly important as most national cancer targets, such as the Faster Diagnosis Standard and metrics based on staging, were designed with solid tumours in mind. Because leukaemia does not follow the same staging model and often presents with non-specific symptoms, these targets are difficult to apply. This makes it harder to measure progress and to focus improvement efforts, leaving blood cancers at risk of being overlooked in early diagnosis initiatives.

These findings form the basis of a media campaign by Leukaemia UK, calling for earlier diagnosis within the healthcare system.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive at Leukaemia UK, said: “This report shows clearly that too many people with leukaemia are slipping through the cracks in our healthcare system.  This is a story sadly we hear far too often from patients and their families, with far too many people reaching an avoidable crisis point.

 “We must do better for the thousands of people diagnosed with leukaemia every year. These findings should be a wakeup call for Government that they must urgently address the needs of people with leukaemia in the upcoming National Cancer Plan.”

The story has been featured in more than 140 news publications including The Independent, the Daily Mail and The National.