Health boards miss Government target for early cancer detection

Tayside failed to hit a Scottish Government target to detect cancer early, new figures reveal.

Five years ago Nicola Sturgeon demanded health boards increase the proportion of people diagnosed with the disease at stage one by 25%.

But across Scotland early detection performance rose by just 9.2%, with NHS Tayside faring only slightly better at 10.9%.

Fife is one of two health boards to meet the standard by posting a figure of 27% in the figures published yesterday.

Dr Alan Cook, medical director at Tayside, said further progress could be made if more people took advantage of screening.

“For example, if everyone in Tayside took the bowel screening test when it was sent to them, 32 more bowel cancers could be detected early every year and those patients would tend to have a better outcome and longer survival,” he said.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We welcome the increase in detection of cancer at the earliest stages, and that 25.5% of all breast, lung and bowel cancers in Scotland during 2015 and 2016 were diagnosed at stage one.”

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar said: “It is unacceptable that 75% of Scots are still diagnosed late for cancer.”

Lib Dem Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Nicola Sturgeon set this target five years ago and it has been missed by a huge margin on her watch.”

The Tories said it is unacceptable the highest proportion of detections in the most-deprived areas were at stage four, compared with stage two for those in the least-deprived areas.

The target was set in 2012 and called for a 25% increase in the early detection of cancer between 2010-11 and 2015-16.