Report to the People
The Big C
The doctor directs you to the chair in front of his desk, as he puts on his reading glasses and opens your file. You take your place and sit uncomfortably, trying to ignore the cold knot in your stomach by examining a poster reminding you to get your flu jab.
"Thank you for coming in this morning," the doctor begins. "I’ve had a look at your test results and I’m afraid to say that we have found a tumour and that it is malignant….."
As his voice fades off into the distance, you are left sitting alone, staring into space.
This is it. "A malignancy." The Big C.
As with death itself, we use any number of terms to avoid saying the word. But there’s no hiding it now. You’ve got cancer.
While this is the news we dread most from our doctor, it is important to remember that cancer no longer automatically equals death. If caught early enough and treated properly, many sufferers make a complete recovery.
But this, obviously, depends on making sure our cancer services are up to the job. And when the problems are found – such as those at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow – it is vital that action is taken.
The Beatson is currently the centrepiece of cancer treatment in the West of Scotland and treats about 8000 new cases each year. With cancer rates in Greenock & Inverclyde 12% above the national average, its importance to us does not need underlined.
Sorting out the problems at the Beatson is being taken seriously. £44 million is to be invested in a new state-of the-art cancer centre for the west of Scotland and almost £10 million has been invested in radiotherapy equipment at the new Beatson at Gartnavel.
There is, though, no point in providing cutting edge facilities if no-one is there to operate them. So, in the first wave of investment from the Scottish Parliament’s £40 million National Cancer Plan, £10 million will fund more than 130 extra doctors, nurses and other specialist health professionals to work in cancer care nation-wide.
Within the year, this will give us at least 28 more posts for specialist cancer doctors and over a hundred other dedicated cancer staff such as nurses, radiologists, pharmacists and technicians.
This is, of course, a two way street. We all have our part to play in minimising our risk of contracting cancer. But if we do fall victim, we have the right to expect a fighting chance of beating the Big C.
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