An Inhumane Wait Cancer Treatment Delay Is a Prioritisation Too Far

Summary

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NINE months is a long time in any life but, for a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, it must seem like an eternity. It is simply too long to be left worrying about the chances of survival and what the future might hold for family members. A woman would not be human if she did not convince herself that her cancerwas spreading during such a long period of time. To wait so long for treatment is inhumane. Yet figures released today show that at least one breast cancer patient at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had to endure a ninemonth ordeal. Her case is admittedly at the extreme end of the scale. Yet women are also being forced to wait far too long at many other hospitals across Scotland, with three recording delays of fourmonths ormore. That's twice as long as the Scottish Executive's target of a maximum 62-day wait between an urgent referral from a doctor and treatment. The deadline for that target is now looming at the end of this year: it seems the NHS has a long way to go.

There is a lot of sympathy for the health service's struggle to meet the plethora of targets set by its political masters. However, the failure to meet this particular aim is potentially dangerous. Breast Cancer Care Scotland, a charity which works hard to support breast-cancer sufferers as they wait for treatment, rightly points out that the stress and confusion caused by delays can "reduce the chance for effective treatment".

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Extract

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An Inhumane Wait Cancer Treatment Delay Is a Prioritisation Too Far

Yet, some doctors appear to regard surgery or chemotherapy for breast cancer as less "urgent" th...

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