"Cancer patients likely to continue to die from waiting – not just from cancer."
Consultant oncologist and RT:UK Chair Professor Pat Price reacting to Thursday’s NHS cancer data.
“These quarterly NHS cancer figures are the worst on record. They show despite the heroic efforts of the front-line staff, cancer patients are likely to continue to die from waiting as well as from cancer itself.
“It’s simply unacceptable that 2 in 5 patients are waiting beyond 62 days for their treatment.
“Combined with the accompanying radiotherapy data showing that waits for this vital treatment are also the worst on record, this is a bombshell day for cancer.
“Whilst the powers that be might try and cherry pick glimmers of light in the numbers going through diagnostics it’s as obvious as can be that we need a dedicated cancer specific plan.
“As we have been saying for nearly two years boosting diagnostics is all well and good, but it borders on the cruel to simply add the newly diagnosed to a waiting list for treatment.
“Without extra treatment capacity and a dedicated cancer plan we will continue to condemn cancer patients to avoidable delays and lives will be lost unnecessarily.”
