Wales Cancer News

Some cancer patients in Wales are going hungry, missing medical appointments or even deciding to reject live-saving treatment because they feel isolated by their loved ones - according to a report published today.

Macmillan Cancer Support says one in five people diagnosed with cancer here each year lack vital support from family and friends.

Their report 'Facing the Fight Alone' report reveals 19% of the 18,000 newly-diagnosed cancer patients in Wales - an estimated 3,420 people every year - feel isolation during their treatment and recovery.

The report found some people's isolation appeared to be a direct result of their illness, with 18% saying they'd lost touch with loved ones because of their diagnosis.

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• Macmillan Cancer Support
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Two changes to screening for cervical cancer in Wales have been announced by Health Minister Lesley Griffiths.

• The age that women receive their first invitation for cervical screening will change from 20 to 25
• Women over 50 who are routinely called for screening could be invited every five years, rather than every three

The changes will be brought in this year following recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee and the Wales Screening Committee.

Cervical screening already begins at the age of 25 in England and Northern Ireland.

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• Cancer
• Lesley Griffiths AM

The NHS in Wales has failed to reach one of its key targets on the treatment of cancer -- for the fifth year in a row.

An official report has shown that they are still not starting to treat ninety-five per cent of newly diagnosed patients within 62 days of being referred by their GP.

But there has been a big improvement in the overall number of people surviving the disease each year. That's rising faster than any other part of the UK. Health Correspondent Mariclare Carey-Jones reports

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• Cancer
• Welsh Government

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths says there is 'still more to do' in the fight against cancer in Wales.

She said: "The hard work of NHS staff together with continued investment and new, faster treatment means Wales has witnessed the biggest rate of improvement for cancer survival in the UK.

Cancer is still Wales' biggest killer disease, however, and there is still more to do. We need to improve performance against the 62-day target for those newly diagnosed with cancer, and diagnose cancer at earlier stages."

It comes as a national report into cancer in Wales is published today.

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• Cancer
• Welsh Government

Survival rates for cancer are improving faster in Wales than in any other part of the UK, but the disease is still Wales's biggest killer - according to the first annual cancer report.

The All Wales Cancer Annual Report, published today by Health Minister Lesley Griffiths, shows the number of people surviving cancer treatment was estimated to be around 110,000 in 2009, and is expected to rise to 140,000 by 2016.

But the report also identified that targets still need to be met, including the diagnosis of cancer at an earlier stage and treatment getting underway sooner.

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• Welsh Government

When Jack Gow from Cardigan was diagnosed with cancer, he and his family never expected they would have to go to America for treatment.

But nine-year-old Jack was referred by the NHS for a revolutionary new treatment in Oklahoma which uses protons, or tiny parts of atoms, rather than X-Rays to destroy the cancer.

The treatment is a much more precise and controllable way of destroying the cancer cells.

A year after he was first diagnosed, Jack is no longer showing signs of the potentially fatal tumour.

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• Cardigan

A quarter of women in Wales are at risk from cervical cancer, according to the charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust.

It's encouraging women to have regular NHS smear tests, quoting figures which claim one in four women in Wales aren't attending appointments.

Nearly half said they'd be more likely to go for a smear test if GP hours were extended, or if there was more choice about where the test could be taken.

Dr Rosemary Fox, from Public Health Wales, emphasised the importance of the test.

"At the end of the day, even if it is a bit embarassing for five minutes, that could save your life, that five minutes" she said.

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• cancer

Women across Wales are being encouraged to have regular NHS smear tests to help reduce cases of cervical cancer.

Figures from the charity Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust show a quarter of women here still aren't attending appointments.

But nearly half of the women they spoke to in Wales said they would be more likely to go for a smear test if GP hours were extended or if there was more choice about where the test could be taken, such as specialised clinics.

It appears that more and more women every year are putting off getting screened for a multitude of reasons. These women are not getting the right support and information or they are simply not being reached at all... This is something that needs to be urgently addressed.

The organisation Cervical Screening Wales is now calling on more women to take up screening, which is offered every three years between the ages of 20 and 64.

Regular smear tests are the most effective way of detecting abnormal changes in the cells, before they possibly turn into cancer. It is estimated that screening prevents the development of around 3,900 cases and more than 1,000 deaths from cervical cancer in the UK every year.

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