The Government has launched an updated strategy for cancer in England with the aim of saving 5,000 lives a year.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the drive will be backed by more than £750 million of Government investment over the next four years.
Mr Lansley said his aim was to deliver survival rates "among the best in Europe" through earlier diagnosis, increased access to radiotherapy, more screening and promoting awareness of how to spot the signs of cancer.
The bulk of the additional money - some £450 million - will fund measures to ensure cancers are diagnosed earlier in their development.
GPs will be given the power to send patients directly for diagnostic tests without referral first to a consultant.
Some GPs currently have access to tests in primary care, including chest X-rays, but other scans have to be ordered by a specialist in hospital. Under the new plans, GPs will be able to order tests themselves, which might include ultrasounds for ovarian cancer, MRI scans for brain tumours and colonoscopies for bowel cancer.
Doctors will still have the option to send patients through the rapid referral system to see a specialist within two weeks.
A £10 million awareness campaign will encourage people to see a doctor if they show any sign of developing cancer symptoms, while funding will be provided for 1,200 additional cancer specialists by 2012.
The strategy also confirms commitments to provide £50 million for additional cancer drugs, a £200 million cancer drugs fund each year until 2013, an expansion of radiotherapy services and the introduction of bowel cancer screening technology.
Mr Lansley said: "Cancer affects us all. Everyone will have a story of someone they love battling the disease. In those instances we all need to know that the NHS will be there for us."
