Hayes in the House: Leukaemia
Each year there are approximately 10,000 people, or 27 a day, diagnosed with leukaemia – a form of blood cancer that is often aggressively fast-moving. Here in South Holland and the Deepings, the five-year survival rate for leukaemia patients is 54.8 per cent!
One in four people with leukaemia face avoidable delays in diagnosis, which change lives and, too often, cost them. For too many confirmation that they have the disease comes after months of worsening symptoms and repeated visits to healthcare professionals who struggle to recognise the warning signs.
While emergency diagnosis may be inevitable for some, evidence shows that for a significant number of people treated in A&E leukaemia might have been identified much earlier. In fact, compared with other cancers, Leukaemia patients are diagnosed disproportionately late, with 37% being identified as a sufferer in an emergency setting.
The new National Cancer Plan for England marks a significant chance to change leukaemia policy and practice, as for the first time it is embedded in a national strategy, with the introduction of an early‑diagnosis metric for non‑stageable cancers creating a precious opportunity to improve outcomes.
This recognition is a welcome first step, but it is practicalities that will save lives. Turning national commitments into real‑world change requires leadership from Health Ministers to ensure ambitions for earlier diagnosis are implemented quickly across the system. Many people still wait far too long for a full blood count, a simple, quick and inexpensive test that can provide either the first indication of leukaemia or allow it to be ruled out completely. So, improving timely access to full blood testing can achieve earlier diagnosis and save lives. A national plan to achieve this is essential.
At a meeting in Westminster, Leukaemia UK told me that avoidable delays occur at multiple stages of the diagnostic pathway. Symptoms are not always recognised; blood tests are not always ordered quickly enough; and abnormal results are not always escalated to specialist care – the consequence is that too many people are diagnosed only when they present as an emergency.
At a Parliamentary event dedicated to improving leukaemia outcomes, I met a lady who had waited over seven months for doctors to identify her blood cancer. Throughout the period, she repeatedly sought help for a series of worsening symptoms – extreme fatigue, night sweats, fever, and persistent infections. Having attended multiple GP appointments, after repeated trips to A&E, it was only during a third visit to A&E, when she was found to have sepsis, that a full blood count was taken and leukaemia identified.
We must ensure that no one is left waiting months for answers. Blood tests, ordered at the right time, can mean the difference between early treatment and countless medical emergencies. My mission as your Member of Parliament is to persuade Health Ministers to make changes that will certainly save lives – both here in Lincolnshire and across the country.
