DEATHS after surgery for bowel cancer are higher at Burton’s Queen’s Hospital than at any other hospital in the country.
Newly released figures have revealed the postcode lottery that exists between hospitals across the country when it comes to treating the second most common form of cancer.
Patients who undergo surgery to treat bowel cancer in Burton were nearly 10 times more likely to die within 30 days of the operation than patients receiving identical surgery in Manchester.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, found that 15.6 per cent of bowel cancer surgery patients at Queen’s Hospital died within one month of the operation.
That was compared to just 1.6 per cent of patients who died following the same treatment at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, run by Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Queen’s Hospital, however, has defended its record and said that survival rates had improved since 2006, when the figures for this latest study were compiled.
A hospital spokesman said the latest available figures showed a rise in the number of diagnosed cases of bowel cancer in Burton from 125 in 2002 to 197 in 2009.
The spokesman said: “The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) report on 30-day post operative mortality after major colorectal cancer surgery covers the years 1998 to 2006.
“Since that time, a number of important developments in the care and treatment of colorectal cancer has taken place at the trust.
“NCIN has confirmed, since publication of the earlier figures, that available information from 2007 to 2008 demonstrates that the trust’s figures have improved and is no longer considered an outlier.”
Consultant surgeon James Eccersley said: “The trust is aware that constant vigilance and improvement has reduced our mortality rate after surgery.
“We always strive to take on board new innovations to make surgery even safer.”
source:burtonmail.co.uk
www.cancerclaims.co.uk
