Cancer waiting times: Latest updates and analysis

I had half my bowel removed in 2019 due to colon cancer and was told all the cancer was taken away. In 2020, it returned to the bowel and spread to my spine, kidney and belly button and was told it was incurable. I had chemo and radiotherapy . Luckily, despite their predictions, I am still alive. I have just been told that the cancer on my bowel has grown. The team had a discussion then informed me that it had not grown enough to warrant treatment and that I’d been scanned for five years so should see my doctor in future. I am walking around with five tumours having two on the kidney which will eventually grow leaving me with little chance to get back in the system for treatment.

What the stats don’t tell you is, where the targets are missed, how much are they missed by. My urgent referral for prostate cancer was 11th March 24. I received my confirmed diagnosis of T2 with gleason score of 9 on 20th May following a biopsy. 70 days vs target of 28 days.
I’m posting this on 1st July and as yet have no treatment plan, let alone been put on a waiting list. That’s 112 days vs target of 62 days for start of treatment from urgent referral.
Either I’ve been very unlucky or the data you have for percentage of people meeting these targets is questionable.

Husband diagnosed with kidney cancer after a MRI for another reason.
Dr referred for urgent review to urology after seeing the MRI he called for another reason.
Was told by the urologist that a CT would be needed.
This is what has happened next
CT scan 20 Feb
Results kidney cancer possibly Adrenal as primary and lung nodules so was referred to Endocrine.

Was told all above on the 27 Feb by phone call.
Also being referred for a lung biopsy which we have heard nothing yet.
March saw Endocrine team was told bloods were needed and urine test all done and results were back on the 20 th March.

21 March was told not Adrenal as the primary as previously thought it is kidney cancer still.
Was told we would get a biopsy in two weeks time .
I phoned up they said biopsy would be 24 April which is nearly 6/7 weeks after and well over the two week biopsy wait was told it would be.
I am still chasing this up.
Lung biopsy was told 4 week wait on the 27 Feb still no news.
We have been passed from Kidney to Endcrine back to urology again.
No treatment
Not even seen an oncologist yet.
Only had CT
MRI
Full blood
Urine test
One Doctor seen at one appointment
Shocking really we was told on the the letter its stage 4 not even by a doctor.

I had a fall at work of about 9 feet. Sustained Multiple fractures, my Wrist, Collar bone. etc,. Had C.T Scan followed by M.I.R while in A&E. 5 days later got phone call to say they had found a growth. At Adrenal Gland was told it was on it.(So assumed on outside ) Then on the 6th day since fall got another phone call to go in for what the caller said was for emergency M.I.R and Bloods..In mean time received letter saying growth was inside the Adrenal Gland.? So do not know if on outside or inside and not told size of it..Just told When results of last M.I.R. are in system i would be getting appointment to Endocrinology. That was 3 weeks ago..I have phoned Endocrinology twice once it got to over 2 weeks. Keep being told my results are not yet in the System. And in any case waiting list for Endocrine appt,. is one huge long waiting list. Today weirdly i was told my results are still not in system but then was told She would get my Consultant i have not met yet to phone me..Obviously i cannot work until fractures heal and plaster comes off. So i have too much time to worry and feel in Limbo as to what will,… is to happen next..

Fourteen years of incompetent government.

too informative and thanks for sharing this much knowledge with us.

Husband diagnosed with bladder cancer in August 2023. Awaiting a bladder removal. Aggressive cancer & waiting list is 4-5 months. Due according to the surgeon to strikes. I will be taking legal advice & action. NOT good enough.

I had a PSA test in January that scored 19. The follow up test two weeks later scored 21.
I then had an MRI scan followed buy a CT scan & prostate gland biopsy.
On 19th May a consultant Urologist at Leicester General Hospital told me I had stage three cancer with a high Gleeson score. He prescribed hormone treatment and referred me to Oncology.
On the 22nd Aug I saw an Oncology consultant & was told I needed seven & half weeks of radiotherapy. Owing to the “backlog” treatment wouldn’t start for two & half months and if I hadn’t heard anything by then to “Give them a call”
I was advised by Prostaid to “chase this up”
Today I called Radiotherapy at Leicester Royal Infirmary and was told I’m number eighty in the queue and the list is being cleared at four per week. Unfortunately, it looks as if I have another five months to wait before any futher treatment will start.
I’ll continue with hormone injections.

My daughter was diagnosed with grade 4 bladder cancer on 14th July 2023. She has still not started treatment. Is this because they know she’s going to die so they see no urgency in treating her. They can’t operate and she only saw the oncologist 10 days ago. It’s disgraceful. She is very distressed at the lack of treatment and this can’t be doing her any good physically either.

I am not happy I have not had chemo for 6mths it is very stressful

From my own experience, I cannot fault the care and treatment I have received from Oxford University NHS Trust.
I was referred by my GP for tests on 14/02/23, received a phone call from my local hospital, The Horton General in Banbury, on the 15th inviting me for a CT Scan on the 16th, on the 16th I received another phone call this time from the endoscopy unit offering me an appointment on the 18th,…. bad news! On the 1st March I was sat in front of my consultant at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford getting the really bad news. I started palliative chemotherapy and immunotherapy on 29th March and have just completed my sixth and final cycle of chemo with immuno to continue. Perhaps I am lucky (well only sort of, because the outcome is now per-ordained) because of where I live and OUHNHSTrust includes the Churchill Hospital, an acknowledged cancer care unit. Finally, a big shout out to ALL the wonderful and caring staff, from Professor Ramon De Melo, Dr. (Consultant) Paul Miller, all the Macmillan nurses, all the nurses and staff at the Horton GH in Banbury and particularly those at the Brodey Center who administer the chemo/immuno therapies.

I waited 10 weeks for results of my two yearly scan! Consultant said well if it was good news I would have rang you within a couple of weeks! I started palliative chemo 16 weeks after my scan! The stress this has caused for me and my family is unimaginable. My cancer is not curable but it is treatable. At the time of the scan my cancer spread was small but 16 weeks down the line who knows!

These figures showing the many missed targets are absolutely shocking but don’t come as a surprise. As a former experienced RadiationOncologist in the north of England, I kept making awareness of delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly radiotherapy, in the public domain 30 years ago. The current dreadful missed target figures are a direct result of long term significant underfunding of cancer services by many governments and are extremely worrying.