Bladder cancer fears as thousands wait weeks for urgent hospital check

Bladder cancer fears as thousands wait weeks for urgent hospital check EXCLUSIVE: NHS backlogs mean 26,000 are waiting for a hospital procedure to check for suspected bladder cancer - despite a quick at-home urine test being available Thousands of people are facing life-threatening waits for an NHS cancer check despite a simple at home test being available. NHS data published last week shows 26,000 people are still waiting for a cystoscopy to check for bladder cancer. The cancer now kills 6,000 Brits a year and traditionally required patients suspected of having it to undergo the procedure which involves a tube and camera being inserted into the body through the penis or urethra to let doctors examine the bladder. However experts behind the test say the uncomfortable procedure is now unnecessary as an at-home urine test has been developed which is more accurate and pain free. Only a handful of NHS areas have so far rolled it out as the NHS pilots whether the test is reliable enough. Makers of the Galeas urine test believe delays using it to check more people could be costing lives. Almost 7,000 patients in the NHS queue for a cystoscopy have been waiting beyond the NHS's six-week maximum standard. Delays in getting checked could be life-threatening for people with the disease. Jeff Bousfield, chief executive officer of Nonacus, which developed the Galeas test, said: “For every 14 people referred with symptoms in the UK, only one has bladder cancer. That one person can be stuck waiting months for diagnosis behind the other 13, while their cancer has the opportunity to grow and spread. “We developed the Galeas test to change that. It's a simple at-home urine test enabling the NHS to reduce or eliminate waiting lists, so people with cancer can be diagnosed and treated faster." Monthly NHS data showed the waiting list for a cystoscopy in England fell slightly at the end of June from the record 27,000 waiting for the procedure in May. But the backlog for the cancer check has seen a gradual increase from the 11,000 waiting in June 2009. Patients are referred for bladder cancer testing when they have haematuria – blood in their urine. Women are less likely to have bladder cancer, but if they do get it the risk of death is 10% higher than in men. Doctors said the Galeas test, which checks for 23 genes most commonly associated with bladder cancer, was a major breakthrough earlier this year because it could prevent the need for an invasive hospital procedure. The discomfort involved meant some patients had decided not to have the procedure. The Galeas test can be done when someone first visits their GP, rather than having to arrange a separate hospital appointment. Early data suggests the test may be 50% faster at diagnosing the disease than a cystoscopy. NHS trust areas currently offering the Galeas test are University Hospitals of Leicester, University Hospitals North Midlands, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire as well as the Hywel Dda Health Board and Aneurin Bevan Health Board in Wales. NHS England had said at least 16 more areas were supposed to be offering the at-home test this year. Jeff Bousfield added: "Bladder cancer can be treated very effectively when caught early. More than 75% of people diagnosed at stage 1 survive for at least five years, but by stage 4, that plummets to just over 10%. That's why waiting for a diagnosis matters.”