The wife of a cancer patient has questioned why a state of the art facility has to send tests to the opposite end of the country.
Julie Summers has questioned why Clatterbridge Cancer Centre send its immunotherapy tests to a laboratory in London after her husband Alan had to wait five weeks for his results. Alan, 63, has recently been diagnosed with secondary lung cancer after previously being treated for oesophageal cancer in 2019.
Alan's secondary lung cancer is non-curative and the couple, from Widnes, told the ECHO they are resigned to the fact Alan "will pass away relatively soon". But Julie, 65, questioned why the cancer facility, which was only completed in 2020, does not have the facilities to test for immunotherapy markers.
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Julie told the ECHO : "Given that Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is the main cancer hub for the North West you would think they could do all the tests necessary for the treatments they carry out for their patients."
The ECHO understands it is common for tests to be sent off to external laboratories as hospitals do not have the facilities. A spokesperson for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who deal with the tests, told the ECHO certain specialist tests can also be outsourced to laboratories around the UK.
Julie said Alan was tested for immunotherapy markers at the start of May and got his results back around five weeks later. Immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment that boosts or changes a person's immune system so it can fight cancer cells.
When Alan was diagnosed with secondary cancer the initial prognosis gave him between six and 12 months to live. The couple hoped the immunotherapy would give him a chance to prolong his life but were left frustrated when Alan's test results had still not come back.
But when they asked about the results they said they were told the centre had sent the tests off in batches to a laboratory in London.
Julie told the ECHO : "It shows the North-South divide. Why is there not somewhere in the North capable of carrying out these tests?
"Why does a specialist cancer centre not include a laboratory of their own? It's got fancy new cafes and seating areas. But cafes and seating areas do not save lives - laboratories do."
The spokesperson for LUHFT told the ECHO NHS laboratories are accredited by an external body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, to ensure the highest quality of testing and safety for patients. This means Liverpool Clinical Laboratories has to "outsource a small number of specialist tests that we are not accredited to perform".
When the couple did get Alan's results back they found he was not suitable for immunotherapy so it would not be available for him. But Julie added: "There must be lots of other patients waiting for results this long as well who could be suffering and the immunotherapy could be their best chance of survival."
The ECHO understands there are a number of factors that affect the turnaround time. The spokesperson for LUHFT added there was a delay in Alan's results.
The spokesperson told the ECHO : “Testing pathways can often be complex, and varying factors can sometimes affect desired turnaround times. Liverpool Clinical Laboratories outsource a small number of specialist tests that we are not accredited to perform to an alternative accredited laboratory, to ensure the highest quality of testing.
“We’re sorry that this situation occurred. This was as a result of sample collection suitability and a delay in Mr Summers’ results being returned to Clatterbridge Cancer Centre from LCL, which does not meet our performance standards.
“LCL is in the process of validating more specialist testing for patients, with the ambition to add them to our accredited scope of tests.”
