This publication has, over the past three years in particular, consistently highlighted the plight of patients waiting for cancer treatment in Wales.

And sadly, over those past three years, there has been no significant improvement in waiting times.

The Welsh Government has poured millions more into trying to ensure that the vast majority of patients who have been diagnosed with forms of the disease begin treatment within two months.

And sadly, time and time again, when the waiting-time statistics are released each quarter, there is no significant or marginal improvement.

For those who deliver health care, it's a frustrating scenario. For those awaiting treatment... well, it's a matter of life, the quality of life, and mortality itself.

But sadly too, there now comes word from researchers that cancer cases in Wales will rise by around 24,000 in the next 10 years. According to new modelling from Public Health Wales, there will be a projected rise of 11 per cent from current levels, largely down to the ageing population in our nation.

In the 20 years between 2005 and 2025, the number of people aged 65 and over in Wales is estimated to have increased by 186,000 and is projected to grow by another 135,000 in the next decade.

Cancer accounts for around one in four deaths of people in Wales, with 9,123 deaths in Wales recorded as being caused by cancer in 2024.

Although the likelihood of surviving for more than five years after a cancer diagnosis has been increasing, the total number of new cases has gone up – meaning that there are now 10 per cent more deaths from cancer in Wales than in 2002. Just over half the number of cases of cancer are made of the four most common types – prostate, breast, lung and colorectal (bowel) cancers.

Because of challenges capturing the impact of changing patterns of smoking, it was not possible to project the numbers of lung cancer cases.

But there is a clear message here then: We need to get our act together in tackling those current abysmal waiting times. Things will, if the experts are right, be only getting worse.