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LEADING BOWEL CANCER CHARITY CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION
THE CCC, Colon Cancer Concern, a leading bowel cancer charity in the UK, is calling for more widespread NHS use of effective oral chemotherapy treatments. CCC's call, during April's Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, is being made in response to evidence that patients' waiting times have more than doubled in the last 5 years.
Jola Gore-Booth, CCC's Chief Executive says:- "When the Government's NHS Cancer Plan was introduced in July 2000, NHS waiting times from referral to treatment stood at 3 months, 92 days. They have now risen to over 6 months, 201 days. These statistics are frankly shocking. They show that the 2 week wait for GP referrals for suspected bowel cancer - a statistic widely promoted as a success by the Government - is disguising an unacceptable delay in treatment times once a patient has been referred. It's clear that things are getting worse not better for bowel cancer patients who now have to wait longer than ever before being treated for the disease."
The Government has set ambitious targets to reduce all cancer waiting times to 8 weeks from referral to treatment and 4 weeks from diagnosis to treatment by the end of 2005. CCC is warning that these targets may not be met unless action is taken now.
CCC's call for action also coincides with the approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) of the oral bowel cancer treatment Xeloda for UK use as an adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy is one of the most common treatment regimens in patients diagnosed with the disease:- approximately 10,000 UK patients per year will potentially benefit from receiving chemotherapy after surgery.
Jola Gore-Booth, adds:- "It is ironic that oral chemotherapy, which is designed to help reduce waiting times and improve patients' chances of survival, is still not widely available in the UK, despite its many benefits. There's no doubt that it is popular with many patients, giving them freedom of choice and control over their treatment - and greater empowerment."
The delay in waiting times may be attributed, in some areas, to a lack of facilities to provide intravenous (IV) chemotherapy. A DoH report in May 2004 showed that chemotherapy use in England had increased rapidly over the last 5 years and that in some places there were capacity problems:- a lack of suitable space to prepare or administer toxic drugs.
There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest that hospitals in some areas are resistant to adopting easier to administer drugs. This is in case they suffer a reduction in revenue for no longer being reimbursed for delivering chemotherapy.
A CCC patient survey, compiled in 2004, highlighted the widespread variations in availability of oral chemotherapy treatments across the UK and the significant percentage of patients that have been denied access to it. There is also DoH evidence of geographical variations in the use of oral treatments, according to a report published in June 2004.
This week, CCC launches its 2005 patient survey, which will ask patients about their experiences regarding referral to treatment times and access to oral chemotherapy, amongst other issues. CCC will publish the results of this year's survey at the beginning of May 2005.
SOUTHPORT
ART SHOP SOON TO CLOSE
THE highly
respected and loved Art Shop Rennies Art & Crafts in Southport
is about to close. The shop has been home to an art story for
over 15 years now and has gone through some name changes and
owners. Sadly this time the shop is to close it's doors for
the last time in a few weeks.
One local artist who
uses the shop regularly, called Peter, said:- "It is a
huge loss for the town. Student and professional painters and
even graphic designers and architects love the store and uses it regularly.
It sells things that no other store in the area can carry. It
has expert artists who know their stuff, if you want help or
advice. It is a real shock that this store is to close."
Shop staff have only
just been informed, they said "It is a bolt from the
blue. The Land Lord will not extend the lease unless we take
it out for 10 years. This has lead to the owners having to say
they could no longer continue. We do not know what we are
going to do. Some of us no longer have jobs and it will rip
the hart out of the local art community. We have been
here for years. Most of our customers are students or elderly
artists. The elderly artists will not be able to travel to the
other branches as they are not near to Southport. It is a real
mess."
One of the customers
added. "This it typical of the Land Lords in Southport.
They are often not from the local area, and do not visit
Southport. They are pushing out small family businesses and
are turning Southport into a bland place to shop. We are
loosing our uniqueness and the towns identity as a hopping Mecca."
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Michael's
40th Birthday Party
RONNIES
bistro in Southport was home to Michaels 40th Birthday. All
his friends and family turned out, but he was not expecting Roberta
Lee to pop in and give her very own rendition of "Happy
Birthday Mr. President."
His father, who owns a
newsagents on Neville Street in Southport Town Center, said "The
night went down well. We all had a fantastic time, including
the birthday boy him self. What made it better was Liverpool
winning the footy. That was the icing on the cake for my
son."
All the party goers no
matter the age were Roberta Leed...
"HAPPY
40th BIRTHDAY TO YOU"
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