9:10am Wednesday 8th September 2010
By Nicola Fifield
CANCER patients in York and North Yorkshire have a better chance of survival than almost anywhere else in the country.
A new report showed 68 per cent of people under the care of NHS North Yorkshire and York who were diagnosed with cancer in 2006 were still alive one year later.
Only seven out of the 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) in the country had a better survival rate.
The report, published yesterday and compiled by the Office for National Statistics in partnership with the National Cancer Intelligence Network, was produced to help monitor the effectiveness of local cancer services.
Martin Hawkings, a consultant in public health at NHS North Yorkshire and York, said the high survival rate was a testament to excellent services, combined with the dedication and hard work by staff in hospitals, GP practices, screening services and those who provide follow up treatment in the community.
But he said the first-rate screening programmes commissioned by the PCT were also vital.
He said: “When patients get diagnosed early, there is a greater chance of survival and improved recovery from cancer.
“Therefore early awareness of symptoms amongst patients is very important allowing GPs to fast track suspected cases to hospital as quickly as possible.
“Our excellent screening programmes have also improved the early diagnosis and treatment of a number of cancers including breast, bowel and cervical cancer.”
According to the report, the number of people in York and North Yorkshire being diagnosed with cancer rose from 2,547 in 1996 to 2,853 in 2006 – an increase in 12 per cent.
But Mr Hawkings said the main reason for this was that not only has the population increased over the past ten years, it has also aged.
He said: “We now have more older people in our area than many other PCTs.
“Therefore we would expect to see a rise in the number of cancer diagnoses in line with the report.”
MOTHER-OF-TWO Michelle Kirkman has enjoyed five years of being cancer-free since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma ten weeks after giving birth to her first daughter.
The 34-year-old, who still undergoes annual tests to check the disease has not returned, said: “I feel safe in the fact that if there was anything wrong they would pick it up there and then because right from the beginning we are monitored so closely.”
Michelle, who lives in Strensall, said she had nothing but praise for the care she received as a patient.
She said: “It was literally two weeks from when I was told I had cancer to the day I started my chemotherapy and throughout my treatment I just felt so looked after.
“I’m a great believer in being positive and if you feel you are being looked after it helps you so much mentally.”
Michelle, who now works as an administrator at York Hospital’s Cancer Care Centre, said she felt there was an increasing focus on catching cancers quicker.
She said: “For example, we have a one-stop breast clinic, to which doctors can refer women who have found a lump in their breast.
“From referral, you will normally get an appointment at the clinic within two weeks and at that point you will find out if you have breast cancer or not.
“I know there is also a big push on promoting a bowel screening programme to catch bowel cancer early.”
She said she thought awareness campaigns also had an important role to play in encouraging people to get symptoms checked out early.
“We were in Parliament Street recently with York Against Cancer handing out beer mats to men,” she said. “They were about snooker and checking your balls.
“A couple of the men actually turned round to us and said ‘thanks for that’ – because they hadn’t thought it was that important to do.”
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