Research reveals the economic burden of colorectal cancer across Europe
New research led by Queen’s University Belfast has found that colorectal cancer costs Europe a staggering €19.1 billion (£16.3 billion) per year. This figure includes direct expenditure as well as indirect costs including premature death and sick leave.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe, with one European dying of colorectal cancer every three minutes. In the UK, over 16,000 people die of this common disease every year.
This new research demonstrates the tremendous economic burden that colorectal cancer places on health systems, patients and their families, and highlights the significant inequalities that European colorectal cancer patients experience, depending on where they live.
Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital (inset) THE proportion of cancer patients starting treatment within two months at the Dorset University Hospitals Trust fell to a record low in February, figures reveal. As NHS performance against the two-month target also reached its lowest level nationally, Macmillan Cancer Support said the latest statistics reveal the enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer services. NHS data shows that at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, just 71.6 per cent of cancer patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in February. That was down from 78.5 per cent in January, and the lowest rate since records began in 2009.
THE proportion of cancer patients starting treatment within two months at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust fell to a record low in February, figures reveal. As NHS performance against the two-month target also reached its lowest level nationally, Macmillan Cancer Support said the latest statistics reveal the enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer services. NHS data shows that at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, just 57.7% of cancer patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in February. That was down from 69.8% in January, and the lowest rate since records began in 2009. It means 47 patients had waited longer than two months in February, and the trust fell far below the 85% target introduced over a decade ago.
A WORRYING drop in the number of cancer scans and number of patients starting their cancer treatment within two months of diagnosis has been revealed by new data. Nationally, the pandemic has hit hospital services – and a pause on non-urgent treatment, a shortage of radiographers and a reduction in people coming forward for tests are said to have affected scans across England. Teams at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust performed nearly 19,000 fewer imaging scans between March last year and February in comparison to the same period in 2019-20, NHS figures show. Imaging tests that can be used to diagnose or detect cancer were carried out 82,300 times during that time – a 19 per cent drop.