SCOTLAND LAGS 'SERIOUSLY' FOR CANCER TREATMENT

Charities and opposition politicians join forces to condemn SNP handling of NHS

- Richard Elias

SCOTLAND is “seriously lagging behind” the rest of the UK when treating cancer, experts warned.

In a damning indictment of the SNP’s handling of the NHS, a report reveals frombetween 2013-22, deaths from the disease rose by 3.2%, from 15,764 to 16,265.

Meanwhile four cancers - lung, bowel, breast and prostate - accounted for almost half (46%) of all fatal cases in 2022.

Lung cancer remained as the most common cause of cancer deaths. A total of 3,925 people died as a result of this in 2022 almost a quarter (24.1%) of all cancer deaths that year.

During the ten-year period, liver cancer deaths rose by 15% among men and by 20% among women.

The report revealed that in 2022, cases of cancer were almost a quarter (23.9%) higher in the most-deprived parts of Scotland than they were in the least deprived communities.

Mortality rates were found to be 78% higher in the poorest areas.

Last night, health charities and opposition politicians joined forces to condemn the Scottish Government for their handling of the crisis.

Leading the criticism was Asthma & Lung UK Scotland.

Its chief, Joseph Carter, warned: "Scotland is long overdue a national lung screening programme that can save lives and improve the nation's lung health.

"Asthma + Lung UK Scotland has long campaigned for such a programme and we are disappointed to see the Scottish Government admit it may take another ten years to implement.

"Survival rates are much higher if lung cancer is caught early and for other lung conditions such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties) where diagnosis can take up to a decade, the sooner treatment starts the better.