Latest figures show 1,015,067 ‘episodes of care’ have been postponed since end of last year
More than 1m outpatient appointments and operations have been cancelled since strikes began in December across the NHS in England, figures reveal.
Last week’s four-day stoppage by consultants and junior doctors forced hospitals to reschedule 129,913 more “episodes of care”, taking the total to just over 1m, NHS England said.
Continue reading...Lead singer of Perth synth-metal band, which placed ninth in Eurovision, set for ‘immediate treatment’
The frontman for Voyager, Australia’s representatives at this year’s Eurovision, has announced he has been diagnosed with cancer that requires “immediate treatment”.
Danny Estrin announced the shock diagnosis on Instagram, saying he was “absolutely devastated” the band would have to cancel its upcoming European tour.
Continue reading...New research finds evidence that exposure to PFAS and phenols increases odds of certain ‘hormonally driven’ cancers for women
Women exposed to several widely used chemicals appear to face increased odds for ovarian and other certain types of cancers, including a doubling of odds for melanoma, according to new research funded by the US government.
Using data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a team of academic researchers found evidence that women diagnosed with some “hormonally driven” cancers had exposures to certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are used in thousands of household and industrial products, including in stain- and heat-resistant items.
Continue reading...Analysis also reveals patients in more deprived areas are more likely to have their cancer diagnosed late
A postcode lottery in cancer care means more than one-fifth of patients with cancerous tumours wait longer than two months to have them removed in some parts of England, Labour has claimed.
Analysis of NHS data exposes regional inequalities in cancer treatments, with one in five patients receiving care following a cancer diagnosis in the West Midlands waiting longer than two months to have their tumours removed.
Continue reading...Hopes guidance could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times for colonoscopies
At-home faeces tests could spare tens of thousands of people in England and Wales from having to undergo invasive procedures to rule out bowel cancer.
It is hoped the move could help diagnose colorectal cancer faster and cut NHS waiting times by reducing the need to refer people for a colonoscopy.
Continue reading...Research found MRI is significantly more accurate than current tests, which are linked to overdiagnosis and overtreatment
Using MRI scans to screen men for prostate cancer could reduce deaths from the disease significantly, researchers have suggested.
Scientists said current tests, which detect the level of the protein prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, have been linked to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk cancer.
Continue reading...Currently two-week wait target is not being met as government says new guidelines will consolidate ten current targets into three
There was some consternation in the comments yesterday at any passing mention of the football, which is going to make it awkward to do the front pages today, with an awful lot of papers featuring the Lionesses upfront and centre.
The Guardian led with the prime minister promising to protect the pensions triple lock, which could see a massive benefits rise given how high inflation is running.
Continue reading...Health secretary suggested patients could go directly to diagnostic test or clinician to ease ‘bottleneck’ in NHS system
Patients with cancer symptoms could bypass their GP in the future and go straight for a scan, the health secretary has suggested, in the latest “radical” attempt by the government to cut huge NHS waiting lists.
The suggestion, which comes as the government is expected to reduce the number of NHS cancer waiting time targets, could form part of proposals to “design out bottlenecks” in the NHS system, Steve Barclay said in an interview.
Continue reading...Proposals to ‘streamline’ treatment, which government says are clinically led, would cut number of targets from nine to three
Keir Starmer has accused the government of “moving the goalposts” as the number of NHS cancer waiting time targets is expected to be reduced.
The government has been consulting on the proposed measures to streamline NHS cancer care, which would replace the nine existing cancer targets with just three. The target of all patients seeing a specialist within two weeks of an urgent referral for cancer tests by the GP is expected to be scrapped.
Continue reading...Chancellor’s younger brother was diagnosed with sarcoma three years ago
The younger brother of the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has died aged 53 after being diagnosed with cancer three years ago.
Charlie Hunt discovered he had sarcoma, an aggressive and rare type of cancer that typically begins in the bones or soft tissue, in 2020.
Continue reading...Tests have been available to people aged over 60 since 2006, and will be offered to those aged 50 and above from 2025
A new study has found that 20,000 cases of bowel cancer have been prevented by England’s screening programme in a decade, as over-50s are set to be offered tests from 2025.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. By 2040 there will be 3.2 million new cases per year and 1.6 million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization. In the UK, nearly 43,000 patients are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year.
Continue reading...The Midlands Today presenter has undergone surgery and plans to return to work for the broadcaster in autumn
Nick Owen has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has undergone surgery, the BBC Midlands Today presenter has announced.
After a period of absence from the programme, the 75-year-old broadcaster spoke on Monday about the impact of the condition on his life since he received the news in April.
Continue reading...UK surgeon told the Public Health Association of Australia’s Cancer Screening Symposium screening is a ‘double-edged sword’
The UK surgeon whose work led to the introduction of bowel cancer screening tests has warned the practice has potential to be a “dangerous tool”.
In his keynote address to the Public Health Association of Australia’s Cancer Screening Symposium, Prof Robert Steele called for greater public awareness that screening is a “double-edged sword”.
Continue reading...Watchdog warns that admin errors, unexplained cancellations and delayed scan reports all contribute to longer waits for patients
Patients with suspected cancer are waiting months for diagnosis because of hidden waiting lists or falling into a “black hole” after referral, England’s patient champion warns this weekend.
Admin errors, unexplained cancellations and delayed scan reports are among factors contributing to longer waits, according to Healthwatch England, a committee of the Care Quality Commission.
Continue reading...Regulator acts after firm paid millions by NHS for healthcare gave patients wrong chemotherapy dose
Britain’s health regulator has partly suspended the manufacturing licence of Sciensus, a private company paid millions by the NHS to provide vital medicines, after the death of a cancer patient who was given the wrong dose of chemotherapy.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had taken “immediate” action under regulation 28 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 law “where it appears to the MHRA that in the interests of safety the licence should be suspended”.
Continue reading...Hungerford founded the charity Elizabeth’s Smile for children who lose a parent to terminal illness after his diagnosis
One of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs has died aged 43 as a result of bone cancer.
Nick Hungerford, the founder of the personal investment site Nutmeg, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma in 2020 after feeling pain in his right thigh. An X-ray confirmed that he had a 5-inch tumour, which could also affect tissue around the bones.
Continue reading...Charity calls on government to do more to restrict unhealthy lifestyle choices
One of the country’s leading health charities is calling for urgent action to reduce the “carcinogenic effects” of cheap alcohol and unhealthy food after a 40% increase in deaths from liver cancer in a decade.
Liver cancer is now the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK, warns the British Liver Trust. Since the early 1970s, liver cancer mortality rates have more than tripled.
Continue reading...Cancer Research UK says melanoma cases ‘could soar’ by 50% over next 20 years and warns against sunburn
The number of people in the UK being diagnosed with skin cancer has hit a record high with a sharp rise among over-55s.
Melanoma cases across all age groups have reached 17,500 a year in the UK, the highest since records began, according to Cancer Research UK.
Continue reading...Sarah Ferguson told by doctors her prognosis is good after routine mammogram revealed disease
The Duchess of York has had surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer, her spokesperson has said.
, Sarah Ferguson, 63, was given the news at a recent routine mammogram screening.
“She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully,” her spokesperson said.
Continue reading...Party’s first female general secretary, who has died aged 61, was essential part of team behind party’s 1997 landslide victory
Margaret McDonagh, Labour’s first female general secretary, has been hailed as a “tour de force” and an essential part of the team that secured the 1997 landslide election victory for the party, after it was announced that she had died at the age of 61.
Baroness McDonagh, who was elevated to the House of Lords in 2004, was, in effect, Peter Mandelson’s deputy during the 1997 election and went on to oversee a second dominant campaign in 2001. She became the party’s general secretary in 1998. She had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2021.
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