Patients with follicular lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma are among cancer patients who have suffered from growing delays in the NHS, according to a new analysis of ‘long waiters’ – defined as people waiting for treatment for 104 days or more.
More than 22% of patients with follicular lymphoma have faced long treatment delays, according to the analysis by the charity Cancer Research UK. In total they represented 23% of patients with haematological cancer who faced long waits.
In contrast, patients with myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were least likely to face delays, the analysis found.
The charity worked with the National Disease Registration Service to analysed the number of cancer patients who have faced long delays since 2017. They found the overall proportion of cancer patients who were ‘long waiters’ increased from 4% in 2017 to 12% in 2022.
The analysis found that staff or equipment shortages were responsible for about half the delays.
Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “NHS staff are doing their best, but these figures are concerning. It’s positive that more patients are being treated than ever, and people are finding out if they have cancer or not faster. However, too many patients are still waiting too long to begin cancer treatment, and this report highlights how far there still is to go.”
Source: Cancer Research UK
Link: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/long_waiters_report_24.pdf [PDF]
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