Charities demand cancer strategy

Apr 30 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

A COALITION of cancer charities will today call for a Welsh cancer plan to help patients affected by the disease in the future.

Unlike England and Scotland, Wales does not have a national cancer plan for setting out how the nation treats patients with the disease.

Members of the Wales Cancer Alliance will today tell the Welsh Assembly Government that it must identify and prepare for changes in cancer treatments, incidence, survival and end-of-life care.

Despite a wealth of world-class cancer researchers working in Wales – particularly in haematology, colorectal and prostate cancer – the country has one of the highest rates of cancer in Europe, with some 14,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year.

And experts have raised concerns that Welsh patients are lagging behind the rest of Western Europe in access to the newest drugs and forms of treatment.

The coalition of charities, which will call for a cancer plan at the Wales Cancer Conference which starts today, believes that such a long-term strategy is vital to making sure advances continue to be made and that patients benefit from new and more effective research, treatments and support services.

Richard Davidson, Cancer Research UK’s director of policy and public affairs, said: “Developing a cancer plan for Wales will take vision, commitment and renewed investment.

“But we urge the Welsh Assembly Government to seize this vital opportunity.”

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said: “We are about to publish a programme of work for 2008-2011 to direct and guide activity in meeting these policy aims.

“ A key requirement of the NHS is to achieve full compliance with the National Cancer Standards by March 2009.”