Merseyside cancer timebomb fear over missed screenings

Apr 8 2008 by David Higgerson, Liverpool Daily Post

THOUSANDS of people are gambling with their lives by failing to attend early-warning cancer screenings, doctors warned last night.

The Merseyside region has some of the lowest uptake rates for cancer testing, which experts say is now being reflected in the region’s spiralling number of cancer sufferers.

Across Cheshire and Merseyside, just 55% of appointments for bowel cancer testing are kept – lower than the national average.

Of the appointments kept, 3% require further investigation, higher than the national average.

Figures for the number of women in key at-risk groups for cervical cancer – the 25-39 age bracket – show that just 62% of women in the region attended tests for the cancer when invited.

For Liverpool alone, around 20,000 women in the key at-risk age bracket have not had a cervical cancer test within the recommended 3½-year time range.

And Liverpool also lags behind the region for women attending breast cancer screenings.

Department of Health statistics reveal a 68.4% take-up rate in Liverpool, compared with 72% in Sefton, 77% in Halton and St Helens, 80% in West Cheshire and 81.2% in Wirral.

The number of women eligible for breast cancer screening is expected to rise in years to come as the “baby boomer” generation reaches screening age.

Chris Holcombe, lead clinician in cancer at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, said the problems in getting people to attend were causing concern.

He said: “In the case of breast cancer, for example, we’ve a much better chance of helping someone if a possible cancer is picked up on a scan than if they only seek help when they feel a lump. The scan can pick up a possible cancer when it is much too small to feel, and the most important thing with cancer is early detection.

“People are often fearful of what might happen if they go for a scan, but not know-ing is much more dangerous than finding out and getting something done about it.

“Certainly in areas which are described as deprived, we see a marked drop in the number of people who attend appoint-ments. We are working with GPs and prim-ary care trusts to make sure we get the message out that early detection is vital.”

Dr Ewan Wilkinson, acting director of Health Outcomes at Liverpool PCT said the PCT was working to both increase take-up rates of screening and make people aware of causes of cancer, such as obesity and poor diet.

He said: “It is estimated that over half of all cancers could be prevented.

“Late diagnosis is seen as a major contribution to poor survival rates. Action on prevention will include a continued focus on lifestyle factors including reducing smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol intake, sun awareness and awareness raising of lifestyle factors contributing to cancer.”

The NHS in the region is bracing itself for an upsurge in cancer cases.

Figures produced by regional cancer experts show the number of cases of cancer diagnosed in the North West annually is expected to rise by 37% between now and 2018, from 35,470 to 48,690.

Breast cancer cases are expected to increase by 54.2%, colorectal cancer by 31%, oesophageal cancer by 49%, and skin cancer cases will more than double.

Liverpool is expected to be among the worst places hit in the North West by the increase in cancer cases, as its general death rate is higher than the rest of the region.

The city’s high mortality rate means an extra 350 people die of cancer each year when compared to the national average.

That figure is 82 in Wirral, 95 in Knowsley, 130 in Halton and St Helens, and 69 in Sefton.

Regionally, cases of stomach cancer are expected to fall, while the effects of the national smoking ban are expected to lead to a sharper reduction in lung cancer cases than currently being witnessed.

The biggest cancer killer in Liverpool is lung cancer, accounting for 400 – or just under a third – of deaths every year.

Joan Elmer, a project worker at the Liverpool Cancer Support Centre, in Aigburth, said: “There has been a sharp rise, but you have to remember that survival rates have also increased.

“Early detection is vital. It gives you a much better chance of survival. People should always consider that if in doubt, they should seek help instantly.”

One woman's warning over missed screenings > > >