Northern Ireland has been rated worst for cancer outcomes both in the UK and across a number of English-speaking countries and states in research published on Wednesday.
A team led by Mark Lawler, professor of digital health at Queen’s University Belfast, say cancer rates in the UK are at an all-time high with patients in Northern Ireland faring worst of all, according to the paper published in The Lancet Oncology.
Their research shows countries with dedicated cancer plans and consistently implemented policies achieve better survival rates. Northern Ireland was rated lowest in its assessment of outcomes in 10 countries – the Republic was mid-table.
At the top was Denmark, followed by New South Wales, Ontario, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, New Zealand, Wales and then Northern Ireland.
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The team led by Prof Lawler predict the UK is facing “a ticking time bomb on cancer care with cases predicted to increase by 30 per cent by 2040″, while the North urgently needs its own dedicated cancer plan to address low survival rates.
“Without a designated cancer plan in place, there is fear that these figures could get significantly worse,” said Prof Lawler, who is also chair of International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP).
Their study assessed colon/rectal; lung, oesophageal, ovarian, pancreatic and stomach cancers.
“Northern Ireland is at the bottom of the international league table for cancer policy consistency. Thankfully, Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has recognised that cancer [care] needs to take precedence going forward,” he added.
The poor outcomes in the North was due primarily to having only one cancer control plan in the past 20 years, he said.
It was disappointing that in the 1990s cancer was inevitably regarded as a terrible diagnosis in the North but, through planning and resources, it saw a marked improvement by 2013, with better outcomes for breast cancer, for instance, than in any part of the UK. That consistent policy was backed by a strong research base, Prof Lawler said.
“Essentially, we have let it slip.”
The authors, including the chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Julie Gralow, warn that the UK government has inherited an “incomprehensible” cancer policy, noting the absence of a dedicated cancer plan contradicts international best practices and neglects the needs of cancer patients.
“Around a third of cancer patients face treatment delays under the National Health Service 62-day treatment waiting times target. Alarmingly, up to 50 per cent of patients are still not receiving evidence-based treatment. The NHS consistently overlooks off-the-shelf technologies that, if implemented, could dramatically reduce cancer waiting times and improve survival rates.
“The country’s cancer research focus is too narrow . . . There is a dire need for more research-active hospitals, as patients treated in these institutions have better outcomes,” they add.
Reinstatement of a national cancer control plan could potentially save thousands of lives each year, the authors conclude.
A 10-year cancer plan was announced by the UK government in 2022 but was soon discarded and replaced by a “major conditions strategy”.
Prof Lawler said: “Cancer is our most feared diagnosis, affecting 1 in 2 of us in our lifetime. We’re at a critical moment for cancer care in the UK. Will we stand by as cancer outcomes continue to decline and patients die who could have been saved, or will we take decisive steps to fix this crisis?”
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