It was interesting to read the latest research from Edinburgh University revealing that women who have survived cancer in the past 30 years are a third less likely to become pregnant (Report, July 4). It shines a light on the urgent need for a conversation between women and their treatment team about fertility preservation following a diagnosis of breast cancer. At Breast Cancer Care we speak to women all the time who are frustrated by the lack of information on fertility. Our survey last year found over half (53%) of younger women diagnosed with breast cancer have no discussions with healthcare professionals about fertility preservation options, contrary to Nice guidance.
This missed opportunity can be devastating for women who want a chance to have a child or extend their family after breast cancer. It is crucial that women feel empowered and are able to make informed decisions that are right for them. The NHS must make sure oncologists and fertility specialists work together to make this a reality.
Carolyn Rogers
Senior clinical nurse specialist, Breast Cancer Care
• We welcome the ambition from England’s chief medical officer to make whole-genome screening available to all patients diagnosed with cancer in the UK (Make DNA tests routine part of NHS care, says UK’s chief medical officer, 4 July). Precision medicine has huge potential for treating cancer in a kinder, more effective way. This is particularly crucial for children, where the toxic treatments can take a heavy toll. However, progress in the UK has been lagging behind parts of Europe and the US – largely due to a lack of development funding in the NHS.
That’s why charities like ours are funding pioneering work to put in place the infrastructure that we need for rapid sequencing of tumour DNA and to drive forward the implementation of precision medicine. We need the NHS and pharmaceutical companies to now work proactively to move the latest in medical science into clinical practice, and support our ambition to ensure all children and young people diagnosed with cancer in the UK have access to precision medicine through the NHS within the framework of clinical trials by 2020.
Cliff O’Gorman
Chief executive, Children with Cancer UK
• I was disappointed that you have fallen into the error of reproducing increases in relative chances of cancer at different levels of alcohol consumption, instead of absolute levels (Report, 4 July). A relative increase of 21% on a very low chance of cancer is still a very low chance of cancer. I was also disappointed that your news story quotes only those two notorious wowsers Ian Gilmore and Markus Peck, who continue to promote demonstrably wrong solutions, such as minimum pricing, to a problem that is disappearing anyway. Alcohol consumption in the UK continues to decline, and has done since 2004. The fact remains that alcohol continues to bring much pleasure to a huge number of people, and that is why people continue to drink it.
Martyn Cornell
Teddington, Middlesex
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
