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Invest now in fight against cancer
Cancer is no longer the death sentence that it once was, argues Harpal Kumar, but there is no room for complacency
IN the past 30 years we have made huge progress in the battle against cancer.
Since the 1970s, survival rates have doubled, the work of thousands of doctors and nurses in the NHS and the work of Cancer Research UK have all been at the heart of that progress.
We have made discoveries about what causes cancer, how it develops, how to screen for it, how to diagnose it and above all how to treat it successfully.
So even though one in three of us will get cancer at some point in our lives, it is no longer the death sentence it once was.
Today, three quarters of children survive their cancer, almost two thirds of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are likely to survive for at least 20 years, and more men with testicular cancer are successfully treated.
This amazing progress is thanks to the people of Britain. Our research is entirely funded by the public who each year tirelessly and generously raise money in a multitude of ways. We owe them a deep debt of gratitude.
But cancer remains only a partial success story.
While half of all people diagnosed with the disease survive their cancer for at least five years, the other half do not. Nine out of 10 diagnosed with a lung, pancreatic or oesophageal cancer die within five years. In all 155,000 people lose their lives to cancer every year.
There is no room for complacency with cancer. We need continued investment in cancer services, in screening, in diagnosis, in surgery, in radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Our research is world class but sadly our cancer outcomes are not yet.
Death rates have fallen by 10 per cent over the past 10 years but the latest comparisons of cancer survival show us lagging behind countries like Sweden, Finland and Norway.
The UK can and should do better. Our best centres are as good as anywhere in the world but most centres do not do as well as the best.
In a world-class NHS any second class cancer service should not be acceptable.
On average we diagnose cancer later in the UK than happens in some other countries.
Too many people die from cancer because they leave it too late or they didn’t take up their invitation to screening – or perhaps in some cases their GP did not spot the signs and symptoms.
Cancer Research UK wants the next government to commit to ensuring that Britain remains one of the best places in world to do cutting research.
But we also want the next government to commit to earlier diagnosis of cancer a major priority, to save thousands of lives every year.
Gps having better access to tests for cancer would be a great step forward. We also need investment in public awareness campaigns.
We need to lower the index of suspicion before a patient is referred for further tests.
We need to encourage and enable people to make their own choice about being tested when they reach a certain age or if they are at high risk even if they don’t have symptoms.
Not only could earlier diagnosis save lives but any investment could be repaid. We could reduce the extremely high cost associated with treating more advanced disease and we could spare patients from the debilitating side-effects from some of those treatments.
Early diagnosis could save more lives from lung cancer, bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and many others.
Thousands of lives saved, thousands of people rescued from an early death, tens of thousands of life years as family, as friends and as taxpayers.
Now is not the time to take our foot off the pedal.
We must continue to invest in research. Breakthroughs have transformed the prospects of so many people affected by cancer. Every NHS patient can benefit.
Cancer has to be a national priority because in the UK it’s responsible for a quarter of all deaths, and because more people are being diagnosed every year.
We have a tremendous health service but with concerted effort it could do much more to save lives from cancer. The next government has a real opportunity to do just that and with early diagnosis we can achieve results not just over the next 30 years but within the next parliament.
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