Thousands of lives could be saved by new cancer guidelines

A new strategy on cancer diagnosis has been launched by NICE, which the health watchdog say could save around 5,000 lives in England each year.

The guidelines recommend that certain tests be arranged directly by the GP in order to speed up access to treatment, instead of first referring the patient to a specialist. In some cases, it will now be possible for GPs in England to gain access to CT scans and endoscopies without referral to a specialist.

England’s cancer survival rates are currently lagging behind other European countries and although the situation is improving, experts at NICE say that thousands of lives are lost each year because cancers are being diagnosed too late.

Professor Mark Baker of NICE has said that the new strategy could save a “tangible number” of lives.

“Throughout the history of European cancer statistics, Britain has lagged behind the best European countries” he said.

“The main reason for that is that people tend to present with a cancer at a more advanced stage.

“This guideline specifically addresses that shortfall. We estimate it will [save] about 5,000 lives a year.”

Although the guidance was welcomed by the Royal College of GPs, they warned that capacity could be a problem, which could go on to cause longer waiting times for patients.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said “It would be regrettable if something that was so well-intentioned resulted in patients being worse off.”

Cancer Research UK’s Sara Hiom, said “We know the strain the NHS is already under and the number of people diagnosed with cancer is increasing – further investment is essential in order to support this much needed shift in investigative testing.”

She added, “Research would indicate we do fewer diagnostic tests in this country than comparable countries, but there are a lack of workforce, perhaps a lack of kit, to do those tests, so patients may be missing out because there are delays, backlogs or bottlenecks and this really does need to be addressed.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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