Parliament's spending watchdog has welcomed an improvement in patients' experiences of NHS cancer services.

But the National Audit Office (NAO) report released on Friday found that London health service users have a significantly worse view of their treatment and care than those in the rest of England.

Following a major survey, the NAO concluded that cancer patients were more satisfied with the quality of their care last year than in 2000.

More than 80 per cent of patients were satisfied with the way their case was handled prior to diagnosis, while two thirds said their GP had been "very good".

Waiting times have also improved in cancer care, with 58 per cent of patients being seen within two weeks, compared with 46 per cent four years before.

London

The NAO expressed concern at the level of criticism recorded in London compared to the rest of the country, and a lower satisfaction rating from sufferers of prostate cancer compared to other forms of the disease.

"It is encouraging that large proportions of patients that we surveyed received the care they wanted, and that in many cases there had been a noticeable improvement on the situation in 2000," auditor general Sir John Bourn said.

"Importantly, patients were strongly positive about being shown feelings of respect and dignity.

"However, there is no room for complacency – even if only 10 per cent of patients with major cancers were dissatisfied with some aspect of their care, that amounts to over 10,000 people a year.

"We look to the NHS to continue its drive for improvement in patient care, particularly with respect to patients in London and those with prostate cancer."