Cancer patients in the UK are less likely to receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy than those in comparable countries, research suggests.
Some 32 percent of patients were treated with chemotherapy in the UK, compared with 39 percent in Norway and Canada and 42 percent in Australia.
One in five received radiotherapy here, compared with 23 percent in Norway, 24 percent in Australia and 26 percent in Canada.
Chief executive of Cancer Research UK, Michelle Mitchell, said: “The UK should be striving for world-leading cancer outcomes. All cancer patients, no matter where they live, deserve to receive the highest quality care.
“But this research shows that UK patients are treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy less often than comparable countries.
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“When it comes to treating cancer, timing really matters. Behind these statistics are people waiting anxiously to begin treatment that is key to boosting their chances of survival.”
The research, carried out by by the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, was published in two papers in The Lancet Oncology.
It looked at data from more than 780,000 people diagnosed with eight types of cancer in the UK, Canada, Norway and Australia between 2012 and 2017.
Variation was even more stark for some cancers. For example, just 28 percent of lung cancer sufferers received chemotherapy in the UK, compared with 35 percent in Canada, 41 percent in Australia and 45 percent in Norway.
Older patients were the least likely to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Just 2.4 percent of over 85s in the UK had chemo, compared with 8.1 percent in Australia and 14 percent in Ontario, cancer.
The analysis also revealed wide variation in the average time patients waited from diagnosis to starting treatment.
Within the UK, average waiting times for chemotherapy ranged from 48 days in England to 65 days in Scotland. It was 39 days in Norway, 43 in Australia and ranged from 54 to 74 days in Canadian provinces.
Countries with better cancer survival typically had higher use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and shorter waits to start treatment. In one example, the five-year survival for stage three colon cancer was higher in Norway (71 percent), Canada (70 percent) and Australia (70 percent) than in the UK (63 percent).
Lead researcher Professor Georgios Lyratzopoulos, of University College London, said: “We already know that the cancer survival in the UK has fallen behind countries like Australia and Canada, and this analysis of two key cancer treatments highlights one of the likely reasons.
“With cancer cases projected to rise in the UK, the NHS must be equipped to deliver the best care for patients. The cancer treatment landscape is changing at pace, but capacity issues and system pressures mean that not all patients can feel the benefit of specialist cancer treatments.”
Ms Mitchell added: “With a general election on the horizon, the UK Government has a real opportunity to buck the trends we see in this research and do better for people affected by cancer.”
The Daily Express is campaigning for the government in ramp up investment in radiotherapy.
Last week Stephen Fry urged people to back a petition from Radiotherapy UK’s #CatchUpWithCancer campaign that calls for an end to treatment delays.
More than 100,000 people signed within 24 hours after the comedian’s appeal, taking the total number of signatories to more than 567,000.
Sarah Quinlan, charity director at Radiotherapy UK, said: “There is a huge public appetite for urgent change to the cancer treatment pathway so that patients can live longer and better.
“Almost 100,000 signatures in 24 hours and more than half a million overall signatures show that the British public is behind the Catch Up With Cancer campaign and willing it to succeed.
“The Government can change the fate of cancer patients, and in doing so show the country that cancer treatment is a top priority that will be tackled head on.”