Today the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer (APPGBC) launches its report Age is just a number. It makes recommendations about tackling the issues surrounding inequality in treatment services and support available to older people with breast cancer.
Today the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Breast Cancer (APPGBC) launches its report Age is just a number. It makes recommendations about tackling the issues surrounding inequality in treatment services and support available to older people with breast cancer.
The report comes out of the APPGBC’s parliamentary inquiry into older people with breast cancer which investigated the variations and barriers preventing all patients diagnosed with breast cancer having access to the services treatments and care that will benefit them most regardless of their age.
It calls for development of an evidence-based tool to ensure there's objective assessment of older breast cancer patients’ fitness for treatment.
Another recommendation is that the support needs of older patients are assessed at the time of diagnosis to ensure tailored support is in place at the right time.
Our contribution
Along with Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Campaign we joined forces with the APPGBC to feed into the inquiry. We contributed our expertise in providing high-quality breast cancer information and support and the knowledge and experiences of the people who use and volunteer for our services.
We know that older patients do not always experience the same levels of care and support as other patient groups as highlighted in our 2011 policy report Improving Outcomes and Experiences for Older Women with Breast Cancer. We’ve recently published a follow-up report which we fed into the APPGBC’s inquiry.
We’ll be attending the launch event in Parliament this afternoon – so look out for updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
For further information please contact campaigns@breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0345 092 0800.