What is it about?
Dramatic regional variations in outcomes for patients with less survivable cancer (lung, pancreatic, brain, oesophageal and gastric) have been highlighted in a report published by MSD. This editorial examines this report and considers the implications for UK cancer strategy.
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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Over 90,000 people a year are diagnosed with less survivable cancers, accounting for 25% of new diagnoses and over 40% of deaths. It has been estimated that if the gaps between the best and worst performing regions were closed, more than 13000 deaths from less survivable cancer could be prevented each year.
Perspectives
The less survivable cancers have their own unique management challenges and I feel deserve their own dedicated healthcare strategy. The MSD report highlights the scale of regional variation and begins to discuss the potential drivers for this, in particular deprivation. This article hopefully helps stimulate thoughts on how to shape strategies to improve outcomes for patients fighting these cancers.
Andrew Brocklehurst
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Time to level up treatment for less survivable cancers, British Journal of Hospital Medicine, April 2023, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2023.0073.
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