[Misc] King Charles has cancer

[sydney]

The implication that private doctors are somehow better in their field than NHS ones is quite insulting. The only difference it's going to make if you go privately is that you might get your initial referrals a couple of weeks quicker. Once you have cancer, you have cancer: while I don't have the statistics, I'd be quietly confident that there isn't a massively enhanced survival rate amongst the wealthy compared to those using the NHS, simply because we haven't yet developed a cure for it. Once somebody tells you that either you or somebody you love has it, and that they can't cure you, it's the shittest of shit things, no matter who's paying the consultant.

The thing with many types of cancer is that you often don't know about it until symptoms arise, and then it can be too late, no matter how much you pay for your care. It can be lurking for years without you having a clue. My husband had kidney cancer had no symptoms whatsoever, until late 2020 when he developed a cough which lasted for a few weeks. Being quite run down, and in the middle of COVID, we didn't think too much of it, until he started having breathing difficulties on Christmas Day. I dropped him at hospital that morning, and by 2pm was informed that he had cancer which had already metastised to his lungs and lymph nodes. They said he could have six months or six years. He died less than four months later: I've never once imagined things would have been different if we'd had private healthcare, nor would I have felt any luckier or better about it if we had.

the phrase "unfortunately you have cancer".....the magnitude of which can not be conveyed to someone who has never had it said to them , it's like being smashed in the face and your bowels twisting simultaneously.

I'm sorry to hear about your husband EK , that is heartbreaking stuff.

my daughter is now 24 , one of her good friends at school , a beautiful girl who was looking at a modelling career and was a state netball player started forgetting her way when driving home then her hand writing went all weird , letters back to front and putting letters in stead of numbers , saw a neurologist , had an MRI , 90mm butterfly frontal tumour , inoperable , terminal , heartbreaking......sorry for your loss mate , cancer sucks.

 

[sydney]

I’ve been very impressed with my experience on the cancer pathway. Swift referral from the GP. Bit of hassle getting the appointment with the dermatologist - but a quick referral for surgery. Whenever I enquired about private treat they said it would be no quicker. Surgery done efficiently- on the same day as the Forest match (big downer as I was going with my brother) but impressed that they operated at the weekends. Results were a bit tardy ( received by late December but not put on the system for three weeks.). great to get the full results on the MyMFT app but would have liked some explanation. Follow up with the surgeon last week - given v promising news but I will have follow ups every three months for some time and I can call him at any time. Mine was very straightforward but good to see the system really work.

one final comment…. Wear sunscreen (especially on the lips)!!

the sun is a bastard......i can remember the worst sunburn i ever had was on worthing beach when i was about 4 or 5 my back blistered badly and now i am getting lumps cut out of it regularly.....sunscreen and a hat minimum , at best keep a full length sleeved shirt on on the hot summer days particularly from 10.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m

 

[nicko31]

Best wishes to Charles, hopefully they got it early. But cancer is cancer and its a lottery.

A good friend of mine was given 6 months to live in 2017 with 4th stage melanoma, the miracles of immunotherapy means he is living life to the full today. There's more hope than there used to be

 

[cheshunt seagull]

For the past 2 years I have been spending a day a fortnight having treatment in what is called the 'chemo lounge' so I have spent many hours talking to other patients and sharing experiences. Cancer is a scary word but I have seen so many people having positive outcomes and managing treatments well and I am hoping that this will be the case here.

I am definitely a republican but I am first and foremost a human being and I wish him all the best.

 

[Guinness Boy]

The implication that private doctors are somehow better in their field than NHS ones is quite insulting. The only difference it's going to make if you go privately is that you might get your initial referrals a couple of weeks quicker. Once you have cancer, you have cancer: while I don't have the statistics, I'd be quietly confident that there isn't a massively enhanced survival rate amongst the wealthy compared to those using the NHS, simply because we haven't yet developed a cure for it. Once somebody tells you that either you or somebody you love has it, and that they can't cure you, it's the shittest of shit things, no matter who's paying the consultant.

The thing with many types of cancer is that you often don't know about it until symptoms arise, and then it can be too late, no matter how much you pay for your care. It can be lurking for years without you having a clue. My husband had kidney cancer had no symptoms whatsoever, until late 2020 when he developed a cough which lasted for a few weeks. Being quite run down, and in the middle of COVID, we didn't think too much of it, until he started having breathing difficulties on Christmas Day. I dropped him at hospital that morning, and by 2pm was informed that he had cancer which had already metastised to his lungs and lymph nodes. They said he could have six months or six years. He died less than four months later: I've never once imagined things would have been different if we'd had private healthcare, nor would I have felt any luckier or better about it if we had.

Firstly, I'm genuinely sorry to read this post and for your loss and experience, just as I am for anyone else on the thread who's going through this or has family who are. My original post wasn't intended to demean your fight or experience, any of you.

However, I'm back because there really is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that historically cancer outcomes are worse in lower socio-economic groups.

This from Cancer Research for example - https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/he...ics/survival/socio-economic-group#heading-Two

Or this from the States https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/...ctors-linking-cancer-death-income-disparities

And all of that was before Covid. These days just getting a GP appointment on the NHS is a mammoth effort and you might not even see a qualified doctor when you do (https://practicebusiness.co.uk/nhs-faces-backlash-over-non-gp-appointments)

The experience of my family varies. Mother In Law had a similar story to yours, six weeks from diagnosis to death. However, she was an alcoholic living on a council estate. She struggled to get an appointment and when we talked to her husband and friends it seems doctors didn't really take her seriously, plus she was in no fit state to fight it. Sister In Law survived but got kicked out of her flat when she couldn't make rent.

I suspect everyone is different and no one prognosis is the same. So, yes, on reflection it's possible King Charles will go down hill rapidly and no quality of life or doctor will be able to do anything. But I'd bet my bank account the two things in the paragraph above won't happen to him. At minimum he'll have serious round the clock care and comfort.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

However, I'm back because there really is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that historically cancer outcomes are worse in lower socio-economic groups.

I don't think that was the issue with your posts.

If, when a PL footballer goes down with a horror injury, instead of showing concern or not saying anything at all, I instead stood up and my first action was to declare "He'll be fine. He has club medics looking after him, will get an op immediately and will be rehabilitated far quicker than the average person", then I'd imagine that might not be seen as the most human reaction going.

No need to reply to this as, franky, I don't really want a back and forth on a thread about someone having cancer, just pointing out that was where your reaction was slightly odd in the context of the news.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I agree - I mentioned this too.

There is no need to apologise TM - anyone who comes into contact with hospital services either as an in patient or outpatient can vouch for the incredible way the majority of NHS staff still carry out their jobs - I can’t speak highly enough of most of the contact I have had with Consultants especially -

However, it does make a difference whether one is in an affluent atea or in an income-deprived area - not wanting to be judgmental but shortages of staff are more acute and lifestyle choices/general health of people in deprived/low income areas put greater pressure on primary services.

It has always been the case and still is - life expectancy is also less

Poor areas left behind on standards of GP care, research reveals

New analysis reveals ‘concerning’ discrepancies between the standard of GP care people receive in poor areas compared to their counterparts in richer areas.

www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk

“The supply of healthcare services tends to be lower in areas of higher deprivation. However, poorer health status among individuals in deprived areas suggests greater need for healthcare”

Area-level deprivation and geographic factors influencing utilisation of General Practitioner services - PMC

Inequities in access to General Practitioner (GP) services are a key policy concern given the role of GPs as gatekeepers to secondary care services. Geographic or area-level factors, including local deprivation and supply of healthcare providers, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I know you are speaking as an NHS worker in cancer services and all your advice is welcome and very helpful but I think you do also need to recognise that (speaking as someone who has been at the end of those services for the past few years in one of the most income-deprived areas in East Anglia), it is simply not happening in some cases - usually at the primary care stage before people even get onto the cancer pathway.

In this sense, it is very much down to tiered healthcare provision in income deprived areas compared to other more affluent/middle income areas so people shouldn’t be surprised if some folk feel keenly that disparity in care access and funding and reflect on that while they follow the media’s coverage of the King’s own awful journey with cancer.

Primary care in poorer areas ‘missing out’ on vital funding, according to new Health Foundation report

Our new report suggets that primary care in poorer areas are ‘missing out’ on vital funding.

www.health.org.uk

Every sector can do more for people in deprived areas including the NHS, and there is a need to be more innovative, nurse led clinics etc… But my point remains, GPs have the detail in front of them so regardless of background, the same rules apply for a cancer referral. Nuffield are referring to GP numbers, but that should not impact on capability. However, I do accept that lack of numbers manifests itself in lack of access in terms of appointments.

The screening programmes I mentioned position themselves in areas of deprivation in Sussex and Surrey, is that happening in East Anglia?

I’ll drop off this discussion at this point, but would wish everyone well and hope they have a positive outcome, and that obviously includes Charles.

 

[DJ NOBO]

1. People with lots of money can afford all round superior treatment that may increase their chances of surviving cancer.
2. Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can kill you however rich you are.

The two statements can both be true at the same time.

 

[lawros left foot]

Not a royalist by any means but wish Chaz all the best in his fight with the dreaded 'C'.

This.

I’ve had cancer, our wonderful NHS sorted it for me, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Having said that, I’m still a Republican.

 

[Zeberdi]

1. People with lots of money can afford all round superior treatment that may increase their chances of surviving cancer.
2. Cancer doesn’t discriminate and can kill you however rich you are.

The two statements can both be true at the same time.

Agreed - And people in deprived areas may have a decreased chances of surviving cancer than the average population.

People with cancer will also know, part of the battle is reducing living stress, getting domestic support when coping with chemo, eating a good healthy diet, living in warm and dry environments and being able to afford to take time off work, pay for childcare etc.

Charles has started his treatment a week after being diagnosed so Sky News looked at how others are faring:

From Sky News Today - raising exactly this issue in the context of reporting on Charles’ cancer diagnosis - it isn’t just one or two of us on NSC raising this, there will be millions asking themselves the same questions and not the Pollyannas who think it’s amazing how the NHS cured them and so all with the NHS cancer pathway is therefore rosy but how they are struggling to get referred for diagnostics and treatment in a timely manner or even at all.

“People from more deprived backgrounds are particularly at risk from poor early detection.

Data from NHS England shows that adults living in England’s 20% most affluent neighbourhoods are significantly more likely to survive cancer than those from the country’s 20% most deprived areas”

King Charles cancer: How long do people wait for treatment, which types are most common for older men and what are the survival rates?

As King Charles reveals his cancer diagnosis, the Sky News data unit looks at how systems for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer on the NHS are under pressure.

news.sky.com

 

[DJ NOBO]

My sister was diagnosed with cancer last year.

We think the care she got was good - chemo and radiotherapy - and timely, although we don’t have much to go by.

Her condition was improving. We were talking about day trips to France. She was so upbeat. Then one day a few weeks ago she woke up, had breakfast with her partner. And then in the afternoon she just died. Mid 50s.

Reading this thread - and putting to one side standards of care debate - it just seems so random.

It’s great to hear some people have seen off cancer.

It could have been my sister. But it wasn’t. I’m sure a few others think the same with their lost loved ones.

I don’t really have a point. I just miss my sister.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

My sister was diagnosed with cancer last year.

We think the care she got was good - chemo and radiotherapy - and timely, although we don’t have much to go by.

Her condition was improving. We were talking about day trips to France. She was so upbeat. Then one day a few weeks ago she woke up, had breakfast with her partner. And then in the afternoon she just died. Mid 50s.

Reading this thread - and putting to one side standards of care debate - it just seems so random.

It’s great to hear some people have seen off cancer.

It could have been my sister. But it wasn’t. I’m sure a few others think the same with their lost loved ones.

I don’t really have a point. I just miss my sister.

I hear ya. And it's not always easy to hear people go "well survival chances are getting much better", "I know somebody who got through that and now he's married with three kids, totally cancer free!", is it? Or see people who are total evil shits, or who spend their entire lives taking drugs, smoking, drinking too much and eating crap living merrily into their 80s. That's when the whys really kick in.

And don't get me started on those who claim being brave or praying to (whichever) god cured their cancer, because to suggest that says that all those millions who died just didn't try hard enough (or pray hard enough). That notion can, with all due respect, f*** right off.

 

[AlbionBro]

Why? It’s pretty clear he’ll get through it. Hundreds of people get this news every day. He’s at the front of the queue for treatment isn’t he?

Why even say this? Do you know more about his diagnosis than everyone else? It's time for empathy, let's hope it isn't terminal. He is a human and a very nice one at that. I wish him well as I do anybody with any horrible diseases, whether they have a pound or a billion pounds.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Why even say this? Do you know more about his diagnosis than everyone else? It's time for empathy, let's hope it isn't terminal. He is a human and a very nice one at that. I wish him well as I do anybody with any horrible diseases, whether they have a pound or a billion pounds.

The statement on his health has already said the cancer has been found at an early stage and is treatable. It certainly isn’t terminal, at present.

 

[The Grockle]

The statement on his health has already said the cancer has been found at an early stage and is treatable. It certainly isn’t terminal, at present.

I think there's quite a difference between treatable and curable though.

My Dad's cancer was found early when he was being tested for prostate issues but he had bile duct cancer which in almost all cases is fatal. Treatment can improve quality of life and give you more time but its one of many cancers that is rarely curable regardless of the quality of health available to you.

 

[The Grockle]

My sister was diagnosed with cancer last year.

We think the care she got was good - chemo and radiotherapy - and timely, although we don’t have much to go by.

Her condition was improving. We were talking about day trips to France. She was so upbeat. Then one day a few weeks ago she woke up, had breakfast with her partner. And then in the afternoon she just died. Mid 50s.

Reading this thread - and putting to one side standards of care debate - it just seems so random.

It’s great to hear some people have seen off cancer.

It could have been my sister. But it wasn’t. I’m sure a few others think the same with their lost loved ones.

I don’t really have a point. I just miss my sister.

I'm very sorry to hear about your sister, can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose a sibling to such a terrible disease.

There's alot of debate in this thread about the quality of care in this country and how that might impact survival rates, I don't doubt there's scope for improvements but part of me feels chance plays a big role. Some people will beat the most aggressive forms of cancer or live many years beyond their initial diagnosis and many unfortunately don't.

My Dad stubbornly fought a terminal cancer diagnosis for a year when he was given just a few months to live, it was devastating but the NHS and his end of life care was fantastic. The treatment he received meant we could make some final memories, share laughs and pints down his local right up to his final weeks. I'll be eternally grateful for that oppertunity

 

[AlbionBro]

The statement on his health has already said the cancer has been found at an early stage and is treatable. It certainly isn’t terminal, at present.

As the Grockle said, treatable and curable can be poles apart. I'm sure you can agree with me on what was said about the king or anyone was just crass.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

As the Grockle said, treatable and curable can be poles apart. I'm sure you can agree with me on what was said about the king or anyone was just crass.

Indeed. I can empathise with losing a sibling. My half brother was just 21, fell ill over Christmas with what was thought to be flu, collapsed on NYE, and died on January 10th 1980, aged 21. The diagnosis was encephalitis, but a post mortem revealed a brain tumour. He had no idea, nor did any of the family.

 

[AlbionBro]

Indeed. I can empathise with losing a sibling. My half brother was just 21, fell ill over Christmas with what was thought to be flu, collapsed on NYE, and died on January 10th 1980, aged 21. The diagnosis was encephalitis, but a post mortem revealed a brain tumour. He had no idea, nor did any of the family.

Really sorry to hear that, I am sure it was tough for the whole family. I too lost my sister, but not to the c word of cancer, it was the c word of covid. Life is ups and down and some of those ups can be attributed to the Albion, thank god! Although I won't hang all my ups on a football team now.
You get older, you get wiser.

 

[Insel affe]

There are some heart breaking personal stories on here, Cancer has possibly touched us all in one way or another, be it friends, family, loved ones, or even yourself, I lost the most important person in my life to Cancer and several friends it is unwavering in who it affects rich or poor. I wish Chaz and each and everyone on here that has been affected by Cancer all the best, my thoughts are with you all xx