A ‘ cancer crisis’ is unfolding as waiting times for treatment continue to soar, warn expert doctors. Thousands of patients are waiting beyond the 62-day timeframe they should receive NHS treatment, leading to serious reductions in survival rates, according to a leading cancer charity.
Immediate action is needed to tackle the delays as international research claims that every four weeks of treatment delay can lead to a 10 per cent reduction in survival rates, says cancer charity Radiotherapy UK. According to the latest figures for July alone, published by the NHS last month, 5,348 cancer patients waited beyond 62 days for cancer treatment following an urgent referral.
That figure marks more than a third of the month’s cancer patients, 38.4 per cent, suffering delays to their treatment.
