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Not surprised about either reports.
If more people live longer then there is a greater risk that they will develop a cancer - our life styles aren't helping.
In recent years I've suspected that the NHS has let down people with early stage cancer, and even those who have already been diagnosed. Our neighbour died of Postate cancer 2 years ago. Even though he had received hospital out-patient treatment, it took a trip to A&E for him to be told that his scans 3 months previously showed it had spread. He hadn't had a call-back in all that time.
Fatal mistakes can also be made - a colleague had been diagnosed with a second bout of breast cancer. Because of her other conditions they didn't want to operate but decided that a daily tablet for the rest of her life would cure it. "Come back for a check up in 6 months". 5 weeks later she was dead of secondary cancer in the lungs.
On the other hand, women with suspect symptoms with the reproductive system can, in some areas, have a referal consultant appointment within 2 weeks.
Its all down to funding. :-(
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I think the numbers reported here not only apply to this province but to all countries in the world
The BC Cancer Agency issued a report on May 26 predicting the annual number of cancer cases in the province will increase 57 per cent between now and 2030.
They found that the main reason for the increase was population aging and population growth to some extent as well. The people most at risk of getting cancer are the people older than 60, older than 70.
The number of British Columbians over the age of 70 is expected to increase from one in nine to one in six by 2030.
The Agency did the report to get an idea of what to prepare for as cancer requires so many different parts of the healthcare system to care for it, and to diagnose it.
That means more screening and treatment facilities and skilled specialists.
They also point out that individuals need to start taking more care of themselves, and lowering their individual cancer risk(s).
PLUS
I spotted this in the MailOnLine on Wednesday night, then went looking for the article ..........
it was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), and can be seen in BMJ Open
A study by Oxford University found that NHS waiting times for referrals for vital cancer tests are four times longer than countries such as those in Scandinavia, Australia and Canada.
Patients are far less likely to be referred by GPs for urgent cancer tests in Britain than in other Western countries, research reveals.
The delays directly affect survival rates, resulting in patients dying earlier in the UK than in Scandinavia, Australia and Canada.
GPs in those countries are up to five times more likely to send patients for cancer scans and X-rays, the Oxford University study found.
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