Cancer victims refused vital treatment

MATT HANCOCK was plunged into a fresh virus row last night after it emerged thousands of cancer patients were being denied Covid-safe treatments that could save their lives.

The Health Secretary was challenged to act over protests that half of England’s cancer centres were still not routinely providing advanced radiotherapy despite doctors insisting it was the safest way to treat many tumours during the virus crisis.

The ‘stereotactic ablative’ technique (SABR) can spare patients dozens of exhausting hospital visits under traditional methods by delivering vital radiotherapy in as little as three to five sessions – with one lung cancer sufferer even being treated in a ‘breakthrough’ single session last week.

Cancer specialists and MPs are demanding an urgent meeting with Mr Hancock over what some claim is a ‘crazy’ NHS decision to ration the treatment – especially as many chemotherapy and surgery alternatives have been suspended during the crisis as they could leave patients vulnerable to infection.

Doctors insist that many of the cancer centres that do not provide the faster treatment already have the necessary equipment.

MPs from the parliamentary radiotherapy and cancer all- party groups have urged Mr Hancock to realise that boosting radiotherapy services would help save the lives of thousands of cancer sufferers ‘without detriment to the overall Covid-19 response’.

The appeal comes amid reports that up to eight million people will be waiting for NHS treatment by the autumn as hospitals struggled to cope due to the crisis.

Last night, a source close to Mr Hancock said that now the peak of the virus had passed, ‘we are working hard to get services going again’ while NHS England said it was aiming to expand advanced radiotherapy services.