Seven out of ten bowel cancer patients are still not being involved in treatment related decisions and six out of ten are not being offered a choice of treatments. These are some of the conclusions of the second annual patient survey carried out by leading UK bowel cancer charity, Colon Cancer Concern (CCC), which was published in August 2005.
Bowel cancer treatment failings revealed
150 bowel cancer patients across the UK took part in the CCC survey, which shows that access to treatments has not improved in the past year. This is despite guidance issued by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), which has made a range of chemotherapy treatments, including oral chemotherapy, more widely available to patients.
Neil Brookes, chief executive of Colon Cancer Concern, said: “The results of our survey highlight the importance of involving patients in treatment decisions and we remain committed to empowering patients and increasing their choices. CCC will continue to campaign for increased access to treatments and greater implementation of SMC (Scottish Medicines Consortium) and NICE guidance amongst other issues that affect the many thousands of bowel cancer patients in the UK.”
Dr Rob Glynne-Jones, CCC’s chief medical adviser and senior consultant at Mount Vernon Hospital, commented: “These survey results are really disappointing, because they show that patients are still not gaining access to the treatments that may be best for them, despite positive NICE guidance.”
