5-Year Plan to Battle Cancer
HEALTH bosses have welcomed the announcement of a fiveyear plan to tackle cancer.
The region’s health authority NHS North East has praised Health Secretary Alan Johnson’s launch of what will be the biggest review of cancer services since 2000.
The North East has some of the highest death rates from bowel, breast and lung cancer in the country.
Research shows a major factor is people in the region going to their GP later, meaning symptoms can remain undiagnosed for longer and the disease is more advanced before a cancer diagnosis is made.
The new North of England Cancer Network (NECN) is working with local primary care trusts to ensure mechanisms are in place to help detection.
A recent example is the rollout of the new bowel screening programme.
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