City Cancer Patients Still Waiting Too Long for Treatment Not Enough Sufferers Seen Inside Scotland's Two-Month Limit
Posted on: Saturday, 3 December 2005, 12:00 CST
By JOHN McCANN Health Reporter
CANCER patients in Glasgow still wait too long to begin urgent treatment, Scottish Executive figures show.
All Scots health boards have been told to make sure everyone given an urgent referral this year for suspected cancer begins treatment within two months.
However, fewer than half of Glasgow patients with bowel cancer were seen in that time between April and June.
Elsewhere, the proportion of patients treated in time for lung cancer dropped.
Glasgow's overall performance for the six most common cancers matches the Scottish average, with 74.3-per cent of patients beginning treatment within two months.
However, in some cases it performs worse. Of patients with skin cancer, 77.3-per cent were seen inside eight weeks, against the national 86.1-per cent.
For bowel cancer the Glasgow figure was 45.9-per cent, below the already poor national rate of 56.1-per cent.
"The worst performance of all was among patients with Lymphoma. Just over two in five people, 41.7-per cent, of those referred urgently for this were seen quickly and the national figure was also among the worst at 57-per cent.
Melanie Burfitt, chief executive of the Lymphoma Association, said some forms of the cancer spread very rapidly.
She said: "It is very important people begin treatment as soon as possible, but the most important thing is patients have the right diagnosis to identify exactly the form of Lymphoma they have."
The average number of Scots patients seen in time fell for those with lung cancer and breast cancer.
Glasgow performed better than most in these areas, as well as treating every patient with cancer of the ovaries in the recommended time.
Health Minister Andy Kerr repeated his demand that boards must see every case of suspected cancer within the timescale and said a GBP150million investment since 2001 should allow this.
Mr Kerr said: "More Scots are beating cancer but that does not take away the anxieties felt by anyone who thinks they might have it."
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow said projects to speed up treatment had been introduced and the city was expected to have performed better in recent months, particularly bowel cancer cases.
john. mccann@ eveningtimes. co. uk
TIMES FILE
Andy Kerr repeated his demand for better cancer care as just 45.9- per cent of city bowel cancer patients were seen in two months - the Scots rate is 56.1-per cent.
74.3-per cent of city patients get quick treatment for the six common cancers - matching the Scots average However, for skin cancer the Scots average was 86.1-per cent but in Glasgow just 77.3-per cent of patients were seen inside eight weeks
The figures for lymphoma were worse, with only 41.7-per cent of patients getting quick care. The national figure was 57-per cent
Source: Evening Times; Glasgow (UK)
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