Cancer patients in England are being denied access to innovative radiotherapies due to a 'deadly postcode lottery', doctors have warned. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and Radiotherapy UK are urging Health Secretary Wes Streeting to address the issue in the government's new cancer plan, expected this week.
The organisations highlight that stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and molecular radiotherapy (MRT), which are effective against several cancers and widely used abroad, are limited in England due to NHS funding and commissioning policies. Only half of cancer centres offer surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT), a technology that improves accuracy and reduces side effects, often funded by charities rather than the NHS.
Dr Nicky Thorp, RCR vice-president for clinical oncology, said: 'A number of innovative cancer treatments exist and are known by cancer doctors to be effective, but they are in only limited use in the NHS in England. This means that some cancer patients are missing out on treatments that cancer specialists know are effective.'
Pat Price, chair of Radiotherapy UK, added: 'The big tragedy of the UK’s poor cancer survival rates is that we know how to fix them but bureaucracy and broken funding systems keep us from making progress. Cutting-edge cancer treatments in radiotherapy, such as SABR and SGRT, allow for more cancer cures, more precise treatments that reduce side effects and cut down waiting lists.'
Currently, SABR is widely used for lung cancer in England but only in a few hospitals for liver, prostate, and kidney cancers, despite evidence of its effectiveness. The NHS's tariff system means hospitals lose money if they use SABR for cancers other than lung cancer, forcing some patients to seek treatment privately. Cancer Research UK has warned that such inequalities in access contribute to the UK's poor cancer survival rates compared to other countries.
