Responding to cancer mortality report published today by the NHS, which showed that 2011 saw the second highest level of deaths from cancer on record and the highest since 1993, Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour's Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, said:

"Despite recent news stories, it is incredibly important that people who have concerns about their health go and get checked by their doctor.

"Scottish Labour believes that the best way of ensuring people survive is to reduce further the time people have to wait to see a cancer specialist to just two weeks. But under the SNP we know that patients who receive inconclusive results are being put to the back of the queue and have to wait for many more weeks to find out if they have cancer.

"The rise in cancer deaths in Scotland is deeply worrying and shows just how much more work we still have to do to tackle the underlying causes of premature death which remain far too prevalent in our country, especially in our poorest communities."