Madam, - Dr Muiris Houston (August 5th) highlights the National Cancer Forum plans for a regional/super-regional model for the best system of cancer care. The serious concerns that exist for cancer patients outside Dublin, Cork, and Galway, is that the National Cancer Forum and the Hollywood Report plan do not provide for "ideal cancer centres" (whereby the 3 modalities of cancer treatment are available on one site - providing best outcome) outside Dublin, Cork and Galway.
While Dr Houston rightly points out that common cancers such as breast, colon, lung and prostate, will mostly be treated in regional centres of excellence, the "ideal" cancer centre will not be available on a regional basis. Patients outside Dublin, Cork and Galway will leave their regional centres of excellence for one treatment alone - namely radiotherapy, against international evidence of best practice, and they will travel for a reduced outcome.
The magnitude of the inequity of providing best outcome alone to Dublin, Cork and Galway, has yet to be addressed. Indeed whilst the Hollywood report suggests that patients outside Dublin, Cork, and Galway are "best served" by a centralised system of radiotherapy, its authors have shown a serious disconnection from the realities of cancer, its treatment and side effects. Indeed CCA considers it vital that an equitable cancer service is available to all patients and that the needs of cancer patients and their families, not medical politics, should shape our cancer system. - Yours, etc.,
Dr JERRY COWLEY TD,
Mulrany,
Co Mayo.