Women face “unacceptable differences” in breast cancer care across England, a new report has concluded.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Breast Cancer said women face a postcode lottery in the care they receive across the country.
Some women are being diagnosed at an earlier stage of their breast cancer than others, some offered life-saving drugs while others are not, and some women receive the care of specialist nurses while others have no such support, the group of MPs found.
For instance, depending on where they live in England, some women are more than twice as likely to die from breast cancer under the age of 75.
And just 62% of breast cancers are being detected early in some areas, compared with 88% in top-performing areas.
Meanwhile, in some areas just over half of women take up invitations for screening compared with four in five women in other parts of the country.
The APPG report states that there are “stark differences” in the availability of services which can even occur among women living on opposite sides of the same town.
Article from Darlington and Stockton Times, 27 February 2018