Lack Of Nurses 'Impacting Care' As Breast Cancer Cases Rise By Nearly 20%
Charity Calls For More Nurses As Breast Cancer Cases Soar
By Jane Kirby, Press Association Health Editor— PA
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The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has risen almost a fifth in a decade but with no extra investment in nursing, a charity has said.
Breast Cancer Care said the lack of specialist nurses was impacting on patient care.
New cases of breast cancer in England have risen 18%, from 38,153 in 2003 to 44,831 in 2013. Wales and Scotland have also seen rises of around 20%.
Meanwhile, the number of specialist breast cancer nurses has remained around 430 across England since records began in 2007.
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The increasingly ageing population plus rising obesity and higher levels of alcohol intake are fuelling the rise in cases.
Breast Cancer Care said specialist nurses are vital for giving patients support from diagnosis to recovery.
Patients with access to a specialist nurse report significantly better treatment and care in the NHS cancer patient experience survey.
Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: "Breast cancer nurses do a fantastic job but they are under more and more pressure to provide the same quality of care with much less time, more responsibilities and many more patients.
"We welcome the Cancer Strategy recommendation that every cancer patient should have access to a specialist nurse, but the next step is how we make that a reality.
"We know NHS England's budgets are tight, but as the number of breast cancer cases rises, action is needed to address this now."
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is also the fastest rising cancer in women after lung cancer.
The number of people living with breast cancer is set to more than double from 691,000 at present to 1.7 million by 2040.
Although 78% of women with breast cancer live for 10 years or more after diagnosis, there are still almost 12,000 deaths a year from the disease.
A spokeswoman for NHS England said: "Decisions on numbers of posts available for clinical nurse specialists are the responsibility of individual hospitals, and overall hospital nurse staffing levels have been rising.
"The NHS is working with partners such as Health Education England to plan for future workforce needs, and to implement the independent cancer taskforce strategy.
"In the meantime, it's great news that breast cancer survival rates are now the highest they have ever been."
Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)