The government's targets to speed up treatment for breast cancer have actually made it slower, according to a new study.

David Robinson, of Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, London, said: "Our study suggests that the government's two-week target has changed little for women undergoing breast cancer treatment.

"The problem with arbitrary targets is that rather than bringing about a genuine and lasting improvement in cancer services, they just seem to push patients from one queue to another."