Why are NHS cancer patients missing out on advanced radiotherapy?

Patients are missing out due to NHS "red tape," bureaucratic hurdles, and complex funding and commissioning policies that limit access to innovative treatments like SABR and MRT.

What is stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR)?

SABR is an advanced radiotherapy treatment that allows for more precise cancer treatment with fewer side effects, and is widely used in other countries but limited in the UK.

What is surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT)?

SGRT is a technology using 3D cameras to make radiotherapy more accurate and reduce long-term effects on organs, but it is only available in half of English cancer centers.

Home / Health / Postcode Lottery Blocks Life-Saving Cancer Treatment

Postcode Lottery Blocks Life-Saving Cancer Treatment

2 Feb

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Summary

NHS patients are missing innovative radiotherapies available abroad.
Bureaucratic hurdles and funding issues limit access to SABR and MRT.
Surface-guided radiation therapy is only in half of English cancer centers.

Postcode Lottery Blocks Life-Saving Cancer Treatment

Cancer patients in England are missing out on advanced radiotherapy treatments widely used in other countries, a situation doctors describe as a "deadly postcode lottery." Innovative therapies such as stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and molecular radiotherapy (MRT) are hampered by "red tape" and insufficient funding within the NHS.

These bureaucratic obstacles, stemming from complex NHS England funding and commissioning policies, prevent hospitals from offering SABR and MRT. This limitation impacts cancer survival rates, which are noted as poor by international standards. Furthermore, surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT), which enhances treatment accuracy and reduces side effects, is only available in half of English cancer centers.

Local charities have funded essential equipment like SGRT due to a lack of NHS provision. Experts emphasize that advancements like SABR and SGRT offer more precise treatments, fewer side effects, and potentially better survival rates. The current system, particularly the NHS "tariff" for funding hospitals, disincentivizes the use of newer therapies for certain cancers, leading to limited availability and a reliance on private hospitals for some patients.