The health secretary has pledged to end postcode prescribing in NHS cancer care.

John Reid acted on Tuesday after recent reports revealed wide variations in their regional availability.

Reid has put cancer tsar Professor Mike Richards in charge of an investigation into the ability of patients to access specialist medicines after research published last week highlighted the extent of the problem.

The charity CancerBACUP said that 61 per cent of women in the South West had access to the breast cancer drug Herceptin, but only 14 per cent of women in the Midlands could get it.

"We are now spending £570 million more per annum for cancer and we have drawn up clear national guidelines to improve services," Reid said.

"We need to make sure that money is getting through to the frontline, and that proven drugs and treatments are available everywhere in the country to those who can benefit from them.

"That is why I have asked the national cancer director, Professor Mike Richards, to conduct another investment tracking exercise to ensure money provided for cancer treatment is being spent on this.

"I have also asked Mike to look at the NHS in every region and ensure the drugs and treatments which have been approved nationally are available. Where they are not, I will be seeking rapid action to redress the situation."

The move was welcomed by leading cancer charities.

Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programmes at Cancer Research UK, said: "People are not getting the drugs they need. This appears to be a sign that the government is starting to address this issue."

And Joanne Rule, chief executive of CancerBACUP, said: "Mike Richards is extremely well respected and we are very pleased that he is going to be carrying out this review."

Tony Blair joined Reid at the Royal Marsden hospital on Tuesday in an event designed to focus attention on the government's achievements in tackling cancer.

Along with Richards, Reid later launched a three-year progress report on the NHS Cancer Plan.

"Cancer remains a top priority for the government and this report shows real progress has been made in fighting one of Britain's biggest killers," the health secretary said.

"Prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and care are all improving due to the hard work of our staff, backed up by hundreds of millions of pounds of extra investment.

"Death rates for under 75s have fallen by over 10 per cent - halfway to our 2010 target. Lives are being saved and patients are receiving better care.

"But this report shows much work needs to be done if people are to have the cancer services they deserve."

Shadow health secretary Dr Liam Fox said the report glossed over several problems.

"Serious problems remain, and responsibility for many of these rest with ministers," the Conservative spokesman said.

"Most shockingly, average waiting times for cancer patients have risen significantly.

"Waiting times for treatment of common cancers such as prostate cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer have all lengthened since 1999.

"The time patients have to wait for treatment for brain cancer has risen by 66 per cent since 1999."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow said more emphasis needed to be put on preventions as well as cures.

"The government still has a long way to go to close the health divide in this country," he said.

"The fact that unskilled workers are far more likely to die of cancer than their professional counterparts is a measure of that divide.

"While there has been some welcome progress the challenge is still to build a public health service capable of leading a revolution in healthcare that tackles the causes of ill health and not just its consequences."