Clear the cancer backlog, Prime Minister, we’re counting on you
Dedicated couple united in grief
A HUSBAND and wife who understand the pain of losing a loved one will today demand the Government keeps its promise to clear the cancer treatment backlog.
Patrick McGuire and Sue Duncombe met at a Cancer Research UK rally after the disease took the lives of their spouses.
But out of tragedy they found love – and married four months later, vowing to dedicate their lives to campaigning and fundraising.
Their quest to fight for better outcomes for the 367,000 people diagnosed each year in Britain comes as Cancer Research UK finds itself in financial dire straits.
As the Daily Express revealed last month, the world’s second largest funder of cancer research is facing a £ 450million black hole because of Covid- 19 and might have to “do the unthinkable” and sack 1,500 scientists as it makes savage cuts.
The cash crisis will have significant implications on future clinical trials and the ability to develop life- saving treatments, which has motivated the couple to speak out.
Action
Today, Patrick will issue an appeal in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In it he says that without urgent investment Britain is in danger of moving from one healthcare crisis to another, adding: “Mr Johnson, please don’t delay action again, we are counting on you.”
The number of cancer patients starting treatment between April and July this year in the UK has reduced by 26 per cent ( 31,000) compared with the same period in 2019, according to figures analysed by Cancer Research UK.
Patrick, 66, from Childrey, Oxfordshire, said: “Millions of people are in a screening and testing backlog, which means thousands are missing out on vital early diagnosis and, sadly, dying unnecessarily.
“From my own experience, I know the terrible strain as you wait between tests and diagnosis. The uncertainty, the fear, the dread and that ultimate feeling of losing control and helplessness. Put simply, this is about saving lives.”
The NHS Long Term Plan makes a commitment to detect 75 per cent of cancers at an early stage by 2028. But some survival rates in Britain are among the worst in Europe.
Cancer Research UK says that if the Government fails to act as part of its Autumn Spending Review, the NHS will struggle to cope and cancers will go undiagnosed or diagnosed too late.
Retired Patrick, who used to work with children with special educational needs, lost his wife Pam to bowel cancer aged 52.
The fit and healthy English teacher was misdiagnosed three times before she was admitted to hospital through A& E and told her disease was inoperable.
Her GP said her symptoms, including fatigue and lethargy, were down to her diet and lifestyle. The doctor even suggested she was depressed.
Despite repeated visits, no physical examination was carried out and eventually, crippled with pain, she went to hospital. It was there on December 23, 2005, medics told her they had found a large lump and she only had months to live.
Pam, then with teenage children, Anna and Callum, died on March 16, 2007.
If she had been diagnosed at an early stage she would have had a 90 per cent chance of survival.
Happy
Patrick said: “We were a normal, happy family on our journey through life – and then bang, this happened. It is a story that will be so familiar to millions of people.
“During the Covid crisis there will be many people suffering similar symptoms to Pam who do not present at GP sur
geries and that worries me. So, if people are feeling tired, they have aches and pains or they feel something isn’t right, they must get it checked. One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. Just think about that.”
After Pam’s death, Patrick dedicated his life to preserving her memory and to helping to raise money and awareness of the charity’s life- saving work.
And it was at an event in Parliament in 2016 that he met Sue, whose husband Philip died of prostate cancer on Christmas Day in 2009, aged 57.
Sales manager Philip was diagnosed in spring 2005, but medics thought they had caught it early.
He had surgery but a test the following year came back with a high PSA reading. Sue, 63, said that by the end of 2008, after chemotherapy and hormone therapy, Philip wasn’t well enough to leave the house.
He went on a clinical trial of a new drug called Abiraterone.
Sue said: “Weeks later Philip was on his laptop looking at flights to Cape Town. I was absolutely stunned. The drug had a really positive impact.
“For nine or 10 months everything was good. Unfortunately, in October 2009, the drugs stopped working and there wasn’t anything left. He was then left on palliative care.
“The really positive thing is that it gave him 10 months of additional quality time to spend with friends and family – and that’s why I am so passionate about research – because I have seen first hand the impact it can have on patients, their family and friends. Abiraterone was approved by Nice in 2012 and is now a standard treatment for prostate cancer. I know of men who have been in Philip’s position who are alive six years later.
“I feel proud Philip was involved in a trial of a drug which now helps so many men. Its early development was funded by Cancer Research UK and that is why it is crucial the charity is able to continue to do the work it does.”
Legacy
Patrick added: “Sue and I were connected by our experiences and both motivated by the fact that life is too short. Today we are motivated by our memories of Pam and Philip… this is their legacy.”
A Government spokesman said: “Cancer diagnosis and treatment has remained a priority throughout the pandemic and our message is clear – anyone who is concerned or needs treatment should come forward.”
The Daily Express is supporting Cancer Research UK as it fights to keep research going following a drop in funding due to the pandemic. To donate, visit cruk. org/ dailyexpress