More people than ever are being diagnosed with cancer at earliest stages across our region

Record numbers of people in the North West are being checked for cancer, with more people being diagnosed at earlier stages than ever before.

In the year to August 2022, 382,956 people registered with GPs in the North West were seen by providers following an Urgent GP referral for suspected cancer. 380,377 of these were diagnosed or ruled out for cancer.

For contrast, between March 2019 and February 2020 (pre-pandemic), more than 73,000 fewer people were first seen following an Urgent GP referral in the North West.

Over the last 18 months, NHS staff have been working hard to recover the shortfall in cancer referrals, and thanks to extensive NHS campaigns and early diagnosis drives more people are coming forward than ever before.

Across the region NHS staff continue to establish important initiatives and are taking significant measures to ensure local people receive the treatment they need, and in Cheshire and Merseyside these include:

• The Transnasal Gastroscopy service at Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool is reducing waiting time for patients who need further diagnosis. The procedure involves a tube and camera which goes up the nose instead of down the throat, to the area that needs to be studied. The patients are in less discomfort, which leads to faster recovery times. Because patients do not need to be slightly sedated during this form of endoscopy, TNG has been shown to be quicker, safer have lower costs and means more patients can be seen during a session (see a BBC North West News report on this here). ​​​​

• An accelerated training scheme to tackle the endoscopy backlog by enabling additional supervised training to enable endoscopy trainees nearing provisional sign-off to get that sign off sooner – so far 15 endoscopists have completed their training, providing additional capacity.
• Further roll out of Cytosponge or ‘sponge on a string’ to help identify people most at risk of oesophageal (gullet) cancer and be available close to people’s homes is set to improve cancer care and ease the pressure on health services, after a successful pilot at Countess of Chester and St Helens and Knowsley.

Dr Michael Gregory, Medical Director for NHS England in the North West, said: “The NHS across the North West continues to work tirelessly to address the waiting lists that have grown and been exacerbated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that our most vulnerable patients, and those waiting the longest, are treated and cared for as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

“In recent months the NHS has seen extraordinary high demand for its services, including people referred by their GPs for suspected cancer, and I’d like to thank our NHS staff who are working extremely hard to provide timely treatment to those who need it most, and to catch cancers earlier than ever before.”

Dr Gregory added: “We understand how difficult it can be for patients to wait longer than expected to receive treatment after a GP referral and strongly encourage anyone concerned about new or worrying symptoms not to delay contacting their GP practice and getting checked to ensure they can be seen as soon as possible.”

Read a news story on the transnasal gastroscopy service here: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/man-worried-lump-throat-after-25503928