Cancer victim considers legal action

8:05am Thursday 19th October 2006

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A GWENT prostate cancer patient denied a type of treatment because of a recently introduced funding ban in Wales, may pursue legal action to try to force the NHS to pay.

Robin James, from Blackwood, joined campaigners at a demonstration outside the Assembly Senedd in Cardiff, to protest the withdrawal of funding for brachytherapy, a type of radiation treatment.

In August, Health Commission Wales instructed consultants to stop offering brachytherapy which, say patients and support groups, creates an unacceptable postcode lottery, denying men in Wales a treatment available to some patients in England.

"Not everyone qualifies for brachytherapy and we'd never heard of it until a relative in Australia told us about it, but we were appalled to find out Robin could not get it," said Mr James' wife Marilyn.

"It's been used in the USA for 25 years and in England for 12 years. It all boils down to money and we can't understand why we must fight for treatment. We are considering legal action."

Brachytherapy involves injecting radioactive 'seeds' directly into the prostate gland and is used to treat small tumours that are detected early. Among the qualifying criteria is a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test score of under 10.

A delegation from the Progress prostate cancer charity, which provides support for Gwent patients, joined the demonstration.

"We must make a noise about this issue because this is an important treatment choice that has been taken away," said Progress member Roger White, of New Inn.

At around £9,000 per treatment, brachytherapy is more expensive than a prostatectomy, or prostate removal. But patients can go home after a day or two instead of facing a lengthy stay in hospital. There are fewer side effects and the outcomes for both treatments are similar.

A handful of patients in Wales were funded for brachytherapy at English hospitals shortly before the ban was introduced.

Progress chairman Mrs Irene Moore said the situation is "extremely upsetting' for patients and their families.

Health Commission Wales, which controls the NHS in Wales budget for specialist treatments, says choices must be made about what treatments to fund, because there is not a bottomless well of cash available.