cancer research uk annual report

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Annual Report and accounts 2022/23

Our Annual Report and accounts 2022/23 reviews our performance for the year, our income and expenditure, the progress we're making against our objectives and our aims for the future.

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The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute Annual Scientific Report

Our annual Scientific Report details the activities of each research group, describing their publications and research projects for the year. It also contains information about technical and operational activities and our funding streams.

The most recent annual report is available for download:

Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2022. The document is in Adobe Acrobat PDF Format.  To download and install the free Acrobat Reader please visit Adobe.

Previous Annual Reports

• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2021
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2020
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2019
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2018
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2017
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2016
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2015
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2014
• Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2013
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2012
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2011
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2010
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2009
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2008
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2007
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2006
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2005
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2004
• Paterson Institute for Cancer Research SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2003

NB: The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute changed its name from the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research on 1 October 2013.

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Activities - how the charity spends its money

Cancer Research UK is dedicated to saving lives through research. Our mission is to prevent, control and cure cancer through our ground-breaking research and in the last 40 years our work has helped double survival rates. But there is more work to be done. The only charity fighting over 200 types of cancer, we rely on every pound donated to help get us closer to beating cancer.

Income and expenditure

Data for financial year ending 31 March 2023

Total income: £718,793,138

Total expenditure: £640,845,146

£26,679,399 investments gains (losses)

Total income includes £2,700 from 3 government contract(s) and £3,912,857 from 2 government grant(s)

Charitable expenditure

Charitable expenditure with investment gains.

Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.

In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.

Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.

By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.

4591 Employee(s)

13 Trustee(s)

25000 Volunteer(s)

Employees with total benefits over £60,000

Fundraising

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Cancer Research UK’s income fell by £74m 

Cancer Research UK Race for Life At Home participant

Cancer Research UK (CRUK)’s income fell by £74m to £582m during the pandemic, but this is less than it was expecting and its chief executive says she is now “cautiously optimistic”.  

The charity published its annual report and accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 yesterday , which set out the impact of the pandemic and the measures the charity took to reduce its costs and open up new funding streams. 

CRUK has reforecast its anticipated financial loss over three years from £300m to £250m. It also made fewer redundancies than it had first expected.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of CRUK, said: “We were forced to take difficult emergency measures at the start of the pandemic to ensure our financial stability and buy us the time to put a plan in place for how we would recover from the pandemic. This agility, unity and the collective strength displayed by our wonderful staff, supporters and volunteers throughout this time, has been admirable. 

“I remain cautiously optimistic for the future. The past year proves the value of investing in the long term in the highest quality discovery science and medical research, and what can be achieved through collaboration.”

Income 

The main reason for the drop in income was the closure of its charity shops and cancellation of fundraising events. 

Retail income for 2020-21 was £39.7m, down from £90.5m the previous year. Event income was £22.6m in 2020-21, significantly less than the £156m in 2019-20.

However, legacy income rose by 16% compared to the previous year. In 2020-21 it reached £213m, and “outperformed our expectations in the year”, the report says. 

This was partly because the charity was able to process more legacy notifications than it expected because HM Courts & Tribunal Services had worked through a known backlog.

Income from donations was relatively stable at £186m (2020: £190m). 

Virtual fundraising 

Two urgent appeals raised a combined total of £8m, while people carrying out fundraising activities at home and in their community raised another £8m.

More than 100,000 supporters took part in one of CRUK’s new virtual fundraising challenges, such as Walk All Over Cancer, Cycle 300 and Marathon Month, raising over £20m.

Some 87,000 people created fundraising pages using Facebook charitable giving tools, raising almost £10m, nearly half of which was connected to the virtual challenge events.

Meanwhile, CRUK says that virtual mass participation events, such as its Race for Life at Home, raised £15m. 

“This is a reduction of 70% on the £48m in the previous year, and £25m less than last year’s Race for Life, it was an outstanding result given the circumstances,” the accounts say. 

Government coronavirus support 

During 2020-21 CRUK received £14.2m via the government’s job retention scheme. It also received £900,000 in discretionary grants from local authorities and £700,000 in retail, leisure and hospitality grants. 

As part of the charity’s cost-reduction plan it furloughed nearly 70% of its staff for part of the year. 

It also moved all staff to working 80% of their time for part of the year. 

The executive board team saw a 20% reduction in salaries for five months from April to August 2020 inclusive. This was applied to all staff for four months from May to August 2020 inclusive.

Fewer redundancies than projected

Last year CRUK said it anticipated making between 295 and 345 people redundant to help it save money, however this year’s accounts report that fewer than 200 redundancies were made. 

The annual report says this was partly down to “vacancy management”. 

Total headcount fell from 4,607 to 4,386. The accounts show that £1.3m was spent on termination payments. 

Related articles

Cancer research uk to reduce workforce by almost a quarter , cancer research uk launches virtual race for life event, cancer research uk cuts research funding by £44m, which could set it back ‘for years’.

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The Charity Awards

• Posted: 17 December 2021
• Tagged: PCR News

What we achieved in 2020-21

Exponential research growth

Our Impact 2020-21

Every year we report on the progress we've made towards achieving our aim for a world where people are free from the impact of prostate cancer. Our annual impact reports showcase the steps we've made, allow us to check-in with our objectives, and our aims for the future.

Read our full report and annual accounts

Our 2020-21 in Numbers

total projects

shortlisted for a major industry award

research budgets or projects cut due to COVID-19

patient panellists who helped us decide what to fund

Chief Executive's Statement

PCR CEO, Oliver Kemp, discussed the significant progress we made in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a particularly nice impact report to write the introduction for. A few years ago, we set a goal to significantly expand our research from 4 to 23 projects by 2023. At the time it felt incredibly ambitious, but possible if we had the right people, culture, and harnessed the power of our community. Then a pandemic ripped through the whole world, and it all seemed much more challenging.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we agreed that we wouldn’t furlough people, we would keep our research going, fund new research and put in place new initiatives that would make us stronger and more capable of achieving our goals. These initiatives are starting to reap significant rewards. The research we decided to fund in 2020 is underway and we are now funding 15 projects, a 375% increase since 2018. Having reached 15 projects, it now feels like our distant dream of 23 by 2023 is within reach.

We have also changed our approach to put much more focus on targeting key needs for patients within the prostate cancer ecosystem, such as bone metastases. We are adding more value along the way by connecting researchers and trying to ensure that more research is funded all the way to the clinic. To that end, we made an investment in a small biotech, Lucida Medical, that makes prostate scans cheaper, more accessible, and more accurate, and which plans to roll out its technology in late 2022.

It now feels that despite the pandemic, the original long-term goal is intact due to the tremendous efforts of everyone connected with the organisation.

“ We also connected more deeply with patients by expanding our patient webinars, carried out a rebrand on a shoe string budget, launched PCR Inc. in the US and investigated how we could launch the first cancer-specific translational fund to help ensure good ideas get translated into real benefits for patients. Oliver Kemp PCR CEO

readers of our booklet Treating Prostate Cancer

people attended our virtual talks

researchers supported

podcast launched - The Prostate Pod

Mitigating the impact of COVID-19

Within research

There is an urgent need to develop breakthrough treatments for men with prostate cancer, and research is how we will achieve this. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency by causing significant delays to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

We supported our scientists throughout the pandemic, in addition to running a new grant call to provide a funding opportunity during a period when there was little available.

For patients

As prostate cancer patients are at higher risk from COVID-19, we worked hard to quickly provide information to prostate cancer patients regarding their health and safety in the pandemic. We published a patient story from a gentleman who attended a hospital appointment during the pandemic to reassure other patients about safety measures.

We also ran a survey to better understand patient experiences and plan to use this information to build better patient information programmes.

5 Zoom calls, with appearances by  9 scientists and attended by  172  patients and supporters

37 men with prostate cancer engaged in an online research community led by two experienced researchers for 14 days

28 patient panellists reviewed our 2020 shortlist and helped us decide what new research to fund in 2021

Achievements 2020-21 & Targets 2021-22

GOLD STANDARD: Fostering innovation through research

• We completed our analysis of the funding gaps in prostate cancer.
• We will now run grant calls focusing on black men, who are at significantly higher risk and have worse outcomes, on the gaps in the science , and focused on career stages at which scientists most struggle to get funding. We will also make our first investments in translational research, helping move good ideas into the clinic.

ASSEMBLING EXPERTS: Strengthening internal structure and processes

• We made new appointments to our Scientific Advisory Committee and Board of Trustees to fill any gaps in experience and skills.
• We improved our contracts to ensure junior scientists get fairer recognition for their work.
• We will continue to analyse and assess our skills and experience and fill gaps that may exist in our Scientific Advisory Committee, Executive Advisory Group and Board of T rustees.

CONTINOUS LEARNING: Learning and connecting

• We ran internal workshops on agility, strategy, and science to help us respond better to the pandemic and remain connected to our mission.
• We dramatically increased our connections to patients, through live (pre-pandemic) and virtual interactions, increased information provision though our website and booklet, and engaging patients in an online study.
• We will continue to invest in training internally, maintaining expenditure at double the sector average.

LEADING AUTHORITY: Positioning PCR as a thought leader

• We spoke at two large pharmaceutical events about best practice in involving patients.
• We were shortlisted for the Charity of the Year Change Project of the Year award.
• We will continue to create relationships and build partnerships to raise our profile.

FORM PARTNERSHIPS: Leveraging partnerships

• We signed contracts with two complementary prostate cancer charities and established regular catch-ups to align priorities and strategy with two other cancer research funders.
• We will expand our pilot work with biotechs to ensure that the patient voice is translated into the development of new treatments and diagnostics.

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH: Sustainable growth

• We were able to expand to funding 15 projects.
• We adjusted our 2020 income goals, given we couldn’t carry out community fundraising due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and we achieved our modified non-legacy income.
• In 2021/22, we will run new grant calls to increase the number of projects we fund to 18.

website users

PCR staff furloughed or made redundant in 2020

research institutions

years supporting prostate cancer research

What Our Scientists Achieved

Despite COVID-19, our scientists continued to strive forwards, from identifying potential drugs that stop resistant androgen receptors, to confirming aggressive prostate cancer subtypes. In addition, we started funding five new research projects, all focussing on filling vital gaps in prostate cancer research, from bone metastases to co-morbidities.

Meet our newly funded scientists

Partnerships

We are focused on forming partnerships with like-minded organisations. We hope these collaborations will help us to:

• address the areas of unmet need in prostate cancer
• develop drugs through shared knowledge
• place patient voice at the heart of advances in the prostate cancer field

In 2020-21, we formed a partnership with the biotechnology company CellCentric, to help them better understand patient needs in drug development.

We are also working on a number of upcoming partnerships that we are excited to reveal in 2021-22.

How we fund our research

In spite of a challenging year for the whole medical research sector, we are pleased with our overall financial performance. Although events and community activities were postponed or cancelled we have found that donors have remained generous and supportive. Many of our larger donors have retained or increased their donations, and trusts and foundations have continued to give in spite of the uncertainty. We have also invested in growth and expect to be back to above pre-pandemic levels in the next financial year. Although some expenditure on research didn’t happen due to circumstances outside of our control, at no time did we have to reduce grant funding or stop any research. We made a strategic decision to use some of our reserves so that cancer research could continue, despite a challenging financial year for the entire sector because of the pandemic. This is why, for 20/21, our expenditure exceeded our income. We have also spent some of our funds on new initiatives, such as a new patient engagement tool to help shape the latest prostate cancer research and ensure the patient voice is heard and magnified. Finally, we have completed setting up an office in the US, which is projected to make £300,000 to be spent on new research next year.

“ Our existing research projects, along with the new awards that we intend to make later this year, will continue to progress through major milestones, getting ever closer to new treatments for men with prostate cancer. Matthew Ellis PCR Chairman

You can access our full report and accounts here:

Related articles

Prostate cancer research welcomes minister’s support for data-driven health initiatives, stephen fry urges patients to help save lives. will you sign up, pcr partners with gfct in screening push, mark clark appointed as new chair of prostate cancer research, pcr x doc cleaning – london marathon 2024, walk 100 miles in may for prostate cancer research 2024, jog 31 miles in march for prostate cancer, prostate cancer research partners with our future health.

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More than a million lives saved from cancer in last 40 years

Cancer deaths have fallen over the years due to progress in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

News reporter @Reemul_B

Friday 1 September 2023 10:20, UK

More than a million lives have been saved over the last four decades in the UK due to advances in cancer care, analysis from Cancer Research UK has shown.

Since the mid-1980s, UK cancer deaths have fallen by around a quarter, but if the rates had remained the same more than 1.2 million people would have died from the disease, the charity said.

Advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including radiotherapy improvements, cancer screening programmes, measures to prevent the onset of cancer, drug developments and gene discoveries, have all contributed to the decrease.

However, cancer deaths are still the prime cause of death in the UK, the charity said.

Advances have not been equal across all cancers, with more cancer deaths prevented in men compared to women - partly due to an earlier drop in smoking rates seen among men.

Since the mid-1980s, 560,000 lung cancer deaths have been prevented, mainly due to reductions in smoking.

While 236,000 stomach cancer deaths have been avoided, linked to the rarity of the H Pylori infection, and 224,000 bowel cancer deaths have been prevented, partly due to chemotherapy administered to patients making tumours easier to remove.

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17,000 breast cancer deaths have been averted, largely linked to the introduction of breast screening programmes and drug developments.

Read more: Prostate cancer referrals spike after BBC presenter's death Junior doctors and consultants to go on joint strike for first time

'Golden era for cancer research'

Professor Jean Abraham, who leads the Personalised Breast Cancer Programme at the University of Cambridge, described the "incredible progress" in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

She said: "This is a golden era for cancer research.

"In my own field of personalising breast cancer treatments, we're now able to complete genome sequencing from the lab to the clinic in a matter of days, when 10 years ago it would have taken months."

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'Long waiting times'

Despite the incredible progress, Cancer Research UK has pointed out "long waiting times" as a worrying situation for cancer patients which were leaving them "facing fear and uncertainty".

The number of people waiting to start routine hospital treatment in England reached a new record high as 7.6 million people were on waiting lists at the end of June, up from 7.5 million in May, NHS data revealed.

It is the highest number since records began in August 2007.

The NHS said strikes have had a considerable impact on elective appointments and procedures, with about 778,000 hospital appointments rescheduled.

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Cancer waiting times: Latest updates and analysis

8 August 2024

This article provides information on the latest performance against cancer waiting times targets. We have another piece explaining the recent changes to cancer waiting times in England .

Over the past few years, pressure on NHS cancer services has been mounting.

Cancer waiting times, which show whether the health system is meeting its targets for quickly diagnosing and treating cancer, help show us the extent of this pressure.

Testing for cancer, diagnosing it and starting treatment quickly saves people from stress and anxiety. Not only this, but cancer that’s diagnosed and treated at an early stage, when it isn’t too large and hasn’t spread, is more likely to be treated successfully. Prompt diagnosis and treatment underpin this.

December 2023 was the first month that the reported data on cancer waiting times is reflecting the new updated NHSE targets , as explained in our previous article . 

The standards have been streamlined into 3 key cancer waiting time standards with associated targets that   indicate how well cancer services are doing .  

Here are the latest results in England for June 2024:

The Faster Diagnosis Standard:  Target Met

• 76.3% of people were diagnosed, or had cancer ruled out, within 28 days of an urgent referral in June 2024. The target is 75% and this target has only been met twice since its introduction in October 2021.

The 62-day referral to treatment standard: Target Missed

• Only 67.4% of people in England received their diagnosis and started their first treatment within 2 months (or 62 days) of an urgent referral* in June 2024. The target is 85% and has not been met since December 2015.

The 31-day decision to treat standard: Target Missed

• 90.9% of people started treatment** within 31 days of doctors deciding a treatment plan in June 2024. The target is 96% . 

The  above  data are specific to England. Scotland,  Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own cancer waiting times targets. 

The NHS in England is treating more patients than ever before, but today's figures show that in the first half of 2024, 30,200 cancer patients across England still had to wait longer than they should to begin their treatment. Even when people are treated on time, it’s a period of unimaginable stress for them and their loved ones, and delays that prolong this are unacceptable. The challenges facing the NHS are complex, and can’t be fixed overnight, but the UK government has a huge opportunity to tackle these problems. The Health and Social Care Secretary has committed to meet cancer waiting time standards by the end of this parliamentary term, and a dedicated long-term cancer strategy is vital in delivering on this promise.

What does this mean for people affected by cancer?

It can be easy to forget that behind these numbers are real people going through an incredibly anxious time.

Quantifying the impact of missing targets and longer waits on patient outcomes is difficult as the research is limited.

The picture is different for different cancer types – some progress quicker than others – but we know the overall impact is likely to be negative. One study estimated that a 4-week delay to cancer surgery  led to a 6-8% increased risk of dying .

People with more aggressive cancers are prioritised for early treatment where possible, but there can be good reasons why someone might experience a long wait for treatment.

For example, it can take longer to plan treatments intending to cure someone’s cancer, and sometimes patients need prehabilitation before starting treatment to give them the best chance of recovering well.

But increases in missed targets mean people who need potentially lifesaving cancer treatments are waiting, and worrying, for longer – and that is a big concern.

Despite delays, people shouldn’t put off coming forward if they are worried about symptoms. It’s always better to be on the waiting list than not at all, and if doctors are concerned, they will push things through as quickly as possible.

Getting back on track

Today’s cancer waiting times continue to show unacceptable waits for cancer patients in England and, despite the best efforts of NHS staff, a service under strain.   

Already this year, around 30,200 patients have waited longer than they should to begin treatment, and recent Cancer Research UK research showed that the proportion of patients waiting longer than 104 days to begin treatment has grown in recent years too.  

Behind every one of these missed targets are patients – along with their friends, family and loved ones – who are facing unacceptably long and anxious waits to find out if they have cancer and when they can begin treatment.  

But despite complex challenges facing cancer care, there’s a huge opportunity for the new government to turn things around. Positively, in their election manifesto , they have already promised to meet cancer wait targets, boost early diagnosis and improve survival.   

For the government to deliver on this commitment though, we need them to develop a dedicated, long-term strategy for cancer – a proper plan for improving cancer research and care. That strategy must set out the necessary investment needed in the cancer workforce, key NHS equipment and facilities, and in IT and digital systems. Alongside that, we also need the government to support the NHS to innovate and reform cancer services so that we can improve the quality and efficiency of cancer care.  

With cancer cases on the rise and improvements in survival showing signs of slowing , cancer is still the defining health issue of our time. That’s why we’re campaigning for the new UK Government to make this a turning point for cancer, and you can add your voice to the campaign here .   

* Urgent referrals include urgent referrals from a GP for cancer symptoms or breast symptoms, urgent referrals from a cancer screening programme, and referrals upgraded by a consultant.  

It’s important to note that the update to cancer waiting times standards in October 2023 means that more types of referral are now included in the 62-day standard. This means that that the 62-day standard now applies to more people than before.  

** This standa rd i ncludes people starting their first treatment for canc er and a lso people starting a ny subsequ ent treatments. B e fore October 2023, t h e 31 – day standard included first treatments only.  

I had half my bowel removed in 2019 due to colon cancer and was told all the cancer was taken away. In 2020, it returned to the bowel and spread to my spine, kidney and belly button and was told it was incurable. I had chemo and radiotherapy . Luckily, despite their predictions, I am still alive. I have just been told that the cancer on my bowel has grown. The team had a discussion then informed me that it had not grown enough to warrant treatment and that I’d been scanned for five years so should see my doctor in future. I am walking around with five tumours having two on the kidney which will eventually grow leaving me with little chance to get back in the system for treatment.

What the stats don’t tell you is, where the targets are missed, how much are they missed by. My urgent referral for prostate cancer was 11th March 24. I received my confirmed diagnosis of T2 with gleason score of 9 on 20th May following a biopsy. 70 days vs target of 28 days. I’m posting this on 1st July and as yet have no treatment plan, let alone been put on a waiting list. That’s 112 days vs target of 62 days for start of treatment from urgent referral. Either I’ve been very unlucky or the data you have for percentage of people meeting these targets is questionable.

Husband diagnosed with kidney cancer after a MRI for another reason. Dr referred for urgent review to urology after seeing the MRI he called for another reason. Was told by the urologist that a CT would be needed. This is what has happened next CT scan 20 Feb Results kidney cancer possibly Adrenal as primary and lung nodules so was referred to Endocrine.

Was told all above on the 27 Feb by phone call. Also being referred for a lung biopsy which we have heard nothing yet. March saw Endocrine team was told bloods were needed and urine test all done and results were back on the 20 th March.

21 March was told not Adrenal as the primary as previously thought it is kidney cancer still. Was told we would get a biopsy in two weeks time . I phoned up they said biopsy would be 24 April which is nearly 6/7 weeks after and well over the two week biopsy wait was told it would be. I am still chasing this up. Lung biopsy was told 4 week wait on the 27 Feb still no news. We have been passed from Kidney to Endcrine back to urology again. No treatment Not even seen an oncologist yet. Only had CT MRI Full blood Urine test One Doctor seen at one appointment Shocking really we was told on the the letter its stage 4 not even by a doctor.

I had a fall at work of about 9 feet. Sustained Multiple fractures, my Wrist, Collar bone. etc,. Had C.T Scan followed by M.I.R while in A&E. 5 days later got phone call to say they had found a growth. At Adrenal Gland was told it was on it.(So assumed on outside ) Then on the 6th day since fall got another phone call to go in for what the caller said was for emergency M.I.R and Bloods..In mean time received letter saying growth was inside the Adrenal Gland.? So do not know if on outside or inside and not told size of it..Just told When results of last M.I.R. are in system i would be getting appointment to Endocrinology. That was 3 weeks ago..I have phoned Endocrinology twice once it got to over 2 weeks. Keep being told my results are not yet in the System. And in any case waiting list for Endocrine appt,. is one huge long waiting list. Today weirdly i was told my results are still not in system but then was told She would get my Consultant i have not met yet to phone me..Obviously i cannot work until fractures heal and plaster comes off. So i have too much time to worry and feel in Limbo as to what will,… is to happen next..

Fourteen years of incompetent government.

too informative and thanks for sharing this much knowledge with us.

Husband diagnosed with bladder cancer in August 2023. Awaiting a bladder removal. Aggressive cancer & waiting list is 4-5 months. Due according to the surgeon to strikes. I will be taking legal advice & action. NOT good enough.

I had a PSA test in January that scored 19. The follow up test two weeks later scored 21. I then had an MRI scan followed buy a CT scan & prostate gland biopsy. On 19th May a consultant Urologist at Leicester General Hospital told me I had stage three cancer with a high Gleeson score. He prescribed hormone treatment and referred me to Oncology. On the 22nd Aug I saw an Oncology consultant & was told I needed seven & half weeks of radiotherapy. Owing to the “backlog” treatment wouldn’t start for two & half months and if I hadn’t heard anything by then to “Give them a call” I was advised by Prostaid to “chase this up” Today I called Radiotherapy at Leicester Royal Infirmary and was told I’m number eighty in the queue and the list is being cleared at four per week. Unfortunately, it looks as if I have another five months to wait before any futher treatment will start. I’ll continue with hormone injections.

My daughter was diagnosed with grade 4 bladder cancer on 14th July 2023. She has still not started treatment. Is this because they know she’s going to die so they see no urgency in treating her. They can’t operate and she only saw the oncologist 10 days ago. It’s disgraceful. She is very distressed at the lack of treatment and this can’t be doing her any good physically either.

I am not happy I have not had chemo for 6mths it is very stressful

From my own experience, I cannot fault the care and treatment I have received from Oxford University NHS Trust. I was referred by my GP for tests on 14/02/23, received a phone call from my local hospital, The Horton General in Banbury, on the 15th inviting me for a CT Scan on the 16th, on the 16th I received another phone call this time from the endoscopy unit offering me an appointment on the 18th,…. bad news! On the 1st March I was sat in front of my consultant at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford getting the really bad news. I started palliative chemotherapy and immunotherapy on 29th March and have just completed my sixth and final cycle of chemo with immuno to continue. Perhaps I am lucky (well only sort of, because the outcome is now per-ordained) because of where I live and OUHNHSTrust includes the Churchill Hospital, an acknowledged cancer care unit. Finally, a big shout out to ALL the wonderful and caring staff, from Professor Ramon De Melo, Dr. (Consultant) Paul Miller, all the Macmillan nurses, all the nurses and staff at the Horton GH in Banbury and particularly those at the Brodey Center who administer the chemo/immuno therapies.

I waited 10 weeks for results of my two yearly scan! Consultant said well if it was good news I would have rang you within a couple of weeks! I started palliative chemo 16 weeks after my scan! The stress this has caused for me and my family is unimaginable. My cancer is not curable but it is treatable. At the time of the scan my cancer spread was small but 16 weeks down the line who knows!

These figures showing the many missed targets are absolutely shocking but don’t come as a surprise. As a former experienced RadiationOncologist in the north of England, I kept making awareness of delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly radiotherapy, in the public domain 30 years ago. The current dreadful missed target figures are a direct result of long term significant underfunding of cancer services by many governments and are extremely worrying.

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