Sign our open letter.
Demand better for those with leukaemia.
Dear Political Party Leaders,
We’re joining together to demand better for those affected by leukaemia.
Every day 27 people in the UK are diagnosed with this dreadful disease. Leukaemia is also the most common cancer among children, with 635 families each year receiving this heartbreaking news.
Despite significant progress in diagnosing and treating leukaemia, survival rates remain low – acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), for example, has a five-year survival rate of only 13.6%, compared to an average of 55% across all cancers in England.
The needs of the 240,000 individuals living with blood cancers such as leukaemia have been neglected by successive governments that have predominantly focused on solid cancers. This must change now!
As a political party leader and possible Prime Minister, we implore you to acknowledge this injustice and to implement Leukaemia UK’s manifesto to save and improve the lives of those with leukaemia.
Our manifesto calls on the next government to publish a Cancer Strategy in its first year to save and improve the lives of those affected by leukaemia. Within this Cancer Strategy we want to see the following four priorities, which reflect the experiences of nearly 300 people affected by leukaemia.
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Priority 1: Investment in cutting-edge leukaemia research to benefit all patients through leveraging the unique opportunities that the UK offers across NHS, academia, industry and the charity sector. Four in ten patients with leukaemia are not informed about the benefits of patient participation in research, with one in two not offered any opportunities to do so.
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Priority 2: Improvement of early diagnosis of leukaemia through investing in early detection strategies for those at risk and through fostering an environment where people with symptoms can have full blood tests faster. Delays in diagnosing leukaemia risk lives – only a third of people diagnosed with leukaemia receive timely blood tests, with 37% of leukaemia patients diagnosed through emergency presentations, resulting in poor survival.
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Priority 3: Access to kinder, more effective treatment and care for all leukaemia patients through offering a holistic needs assessment to everyone at the point of diagnosis and post-treatment. A holistic needs assessment at diagnosis and post-treatment is key to address the unique emotional and physical needs people with leukaemia face because of gruelling long-term treatments – however only 9% are offered one.
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Priority 4: Publication of more and better health data and undertaking of clinical audits to improve quality of diagnosis, treatment and care of leukaemia. Current limitations in leukaemia health data obstruct our understanding of patient outcomes and hinder improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and care. Leukaemia-dedicated health service reviews and national clinical audits do not exist for leukaemia like they do for most cancers.
As a political party leader and possible Prime Minister, we urge you to prioritise implementation of these reforms and work with Leukaemia UK in transforming the landscape for individuals affected by this devastating disease.
Sincerely