Survival chances for UK cancer patients is a ‘diagnosis postcode lottery’, report claims

The report compared the rates of early and late cancer diagnosis across 25 districts in England in the year 2012-13. The data for 10 different types of cancer showed significant variations depending on both the type of cancer and the location of diagnosis. Merseyside was revealed as once of the worst performing regions with 49 per cent of cancer patients being diagnosed at stages at late as three or four.

The biggest contrast was witnessed between Merseyside and the South-West, which included Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire, where 40 per cent of patients were diagnosed late.

The data showed that cancers diagnosed as early as stage one and two meant patients were more than three times more likely to survive.

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at the charity, said: “Wherever you live, an early diagnosis of cancer will give you more treatment options and a better chance of survival.

“So it’s unacceptable to see such variation across England, with some areas falling far behind others in prompt diagnosis of different cancers. The available data indicate widespread problems, with far too many patients being diagnosed later than they should be.

“It’s not easy to make sure that all cancer patients are diagnosed as early as possible, but it’s vitally important. We need to ensure that people with unusual or persistent changes to their bodies seek help rather than ignoring or putting up with potential cancer symptoms. And we need a system where GPs are supported in the diagnosis of cancer and there are the resources to ensure patients can be investigated promptly.”

In response to the result’s findings, Cancer Research UK said if all the regions of England matched the South-West’s record of early diagnosis, it would have given 20,000 more patients a better chance of survival.

A breakdown of the figures found that almost 25 per cent of breast cancer patients in London (around 1,000 women) were diagnosed late, compared to Leicestershire and Lincolnshire where just 10 per cent were diagnosed at late stages.

An analysis of figures regarding the occurrence of bowel cancer places Merseyside at the bottom of the table once more, with almost 60 per cent of patients diagnosed late. This deeply contrasts to East Anglia, the best-performing region, where late diagonals are half as likely.

Nevertheless, the data revealed that while East Anglia was among the best services for early diagnosis of bowel cancer, it was one of the poorer performing locations for those with melanoma skin cancer.

Dr Jodie Moffat, head of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK, said: “We don’t know for sure why there’s such variation across England and it’s likely that a lot of factors are coming into play.

“These might include patients not going to their doctor as early as they could with possible cancer symptoms, and GPs sometimes failing to suspect cancer or not referring patients for diagnostic tests promptly.”

Chief executive Harpal Kumar said: “These figures show much more needs to be done to give patients the best chance of surviving their disease in all areas of the country.”

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