(Easington) (Lab):...The Catch Up With Cancer campaign,
which Radiotherapy4Life is supporting, has identified that the
cancer backlog stands at more than 100,000 patients. I recently had
a meeting via Zoom with Macmillan cancer
support—I am one for badges; I am wearing Radiotherapy4Life’s and
Macmillan’s—to discuss what needs to be done to address the cancer
backlog. It estimates that there are 50,000 missing diagnoses for
cancer across the UK—it calls them the forgotten C. An estimated
100 fewer women started treatment for breast cancer each working
day in May and June, compared with last year. Breast cancer
two-week wait referrals are down 25% in March to August this year,
compared with 2019...
(Winchester) (Con):...We know that some patients with breast
cancer had their treatments changed or paused to protect their
immune systems. We wait with nothing but fear for the impact of
those periods on keeping the disease stable. Let us stop for a
moment to consider the reality of those pauses. There is that
sinking feeling in a person’s stomach every morning when they
wake up and remember that they have breast cancer but they cannot
take any action to beat back the disease, because of the
pandemic. When they are busy doing something else—maybe enjoying
a child or a grandchild being super-cute—it rushes back in, like
a punch to the stomach, and they realise they cannot take any
action to beat the disease, because of the pandemic. For the
children of breast cancer patients who call up on Zoom because they cannot meet, things
look and sound the same, but mum cannot take any action to beat
back the disease...
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