Quarter of leukaemia patients face avoidable diagnosis delays, charity warns

Around one in four people with a type of blood cancer in England face avoidable delays in diagnosis, according to new analysis.

Too many people with the disease “are slipping through the cracks” in the NHS, Leukaemia UK warned.

Research commissioned by the charity looked at data on 12,770 cases of chronic and acute leukaemia diagnosed between April 2015 and March 2023.

The period between April 2020 and April 2022 was excluded from the analysis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For patients with acute leukaemia – one of the most aggressive forms – delays occurred after going to the GP with symptoms for 28% of patients.

For around one in five (21%), there were delays in escalation after multiple GP visits, while for 15% there were delays in escalation after tests showed an abnormal blood count.

The study also found 26% of leukaemia patients who experienced diagnostic delays were eventually diagnosed in an emergency setting like A&E.

There are more than 10,000 new cases of leukaemia diagnosed in the UK each year.

According to Leukaemia UK, around 37% of patients are diagnosed in emergency settings, far higher than the cancer average of 21%.

Fiona Hazell, chief executive of Leukaemia UK, said: “This report shows clearly that too many people with leukaemia are slipping through the cracks in our healthcare system.

“This is a story that we sadly hear far too often from patients and their families, with many people reaching an avoidable crisis point.

“Every diagnosis counts but currently we are still failing too many patients. We must do better for the thousands of people diagnosed with leukaemia every year.”

Tracey Palmer-Hole, visited her GP several times over a number of months with symptoms like bone pain, exhaustion, bruising and mouth ulcers.

She was eventually diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

“I wasn’t offered a full blood count test and was told it was rheumatoid arthritis, but the medication didn’t help,” Ms Palmer-Hole said.

“It wasn’t until I fainted and ended up in A&E two months later that I was finally diagnosed with AML.

“While the care I received was exceptional and I feel very lucky to be in remission, that is not the case for everyone with leukaemia. I fully support Leukaemia UK’s call for change – early diagnosis saves lives.”

Leukaemia UK is calling on the Government to use the National Cancer Plan, which is expected to be published later this year, as an opportunity to “save and improve more lives of people with leukaemia”.

Ms Hazell said: “These findings should be a wake-up call for Government that they must urgently address the needs of people with leukaemia in the upcoming National Cancer Plan.”

Willie Hamilton, professor of primary care diagnostics at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “These findings highlight the scale and impact of diagnostic delays in leukaemia.

“We know that early diagnosis is critical in leukaemia, especially in aggressive types like AML.

“These statistics reinforce the urgent need for clearer referral pathways, faster access to blood tests, and better support for GPs in knowing when and where to seek help for patients with possible leukaemia earlier.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited an NHS system that had let down cancer patients through years of neglect, with far too many facing unacceptably long waits for diagnosis and treatment.

“Through our Plan for Change, this government is making progress to turn this around, with 160,000 more people having cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days between August 2024 to July 2025 than before July 2024.

“We are also opening more community diagnostic centres and new neighbourhood health services across the country so patients can get convenient, co-ordinated tests and treatment closer to home to speed up diagnosis.”