Cancer patients forced to miss treatment, tests

Cancer experts have revealed a worrying trend among patients — and the reason behind it — as calls for help spike to a five-year high.

Calls to Cancer Council Victoria’s support line have increased by more than 21 per cent this year.

Calls to a cancer helpline have spiked in the past year, as a leading charity warns some patients are skipping treatments and tests because they cannot afford them.

New data from Cancer Council Victoria has revealed more than 11,000 people called their support line between January and November this year, an increase of more than 20 per cent from 2021.

More than a third of calls related to psychological and emotional support, while 30 per cent were for practical issues such as the cost of cancer — sparking fears this will climb further as the cost-of-living continues to rise.

Cancer Council Victoria head of strategy and support Danielle Spence said the cost “can be really surprising” for new patients, with some callers unable to work due to treatment side effects or forced to make impossible decisions.

“Even in the public system, we know that there are really high costs,” she said.

“(Callers) are making choices associated with those costs, and it might be that they can’t access treatment, they can’t have that test that isn’t bulk billed, they can’t have those medications.

“It’s harder to get a bulk-billing GP since the pandemic.”

“People tell us that sometimes for the first time, they have to access welfare, they have to tap into superannuation, insurance and life savings.”

More than one-third of calls to the helpline were for mental health support. Picture: istock

She said the spike in calls has occurred at a time that cancer diagnoses had actually decreased, after a drop in check-ups during and after lockdowns.

“The pandemic has really exacerbated some of those challenges that people have experienced when they get cancer diagnosis, things like loneliness, isolation, the mental health impact,” she said.

“It (call demand) is probably the highest it’s been over the last five years.

“We’ve really been promoting (the service) … but we also know it’s harder to get support in hospitals at the moment for things like social work, or mental health counselling.

“This holiday period and all of the festivities … for people who are carrying serious illness like cancer, it can be a really lonely and difficult time.”

Ms Spence said their free helpline, 13 11 20, has cancer nurses and financial counsellors for patients and their loved ones.

Other issues raised by helpline callers included Covid, with almost one-in-ten calls related to the pandemic as people sought advice on dealing with the virus while undergoing treatment and preventing infections.

13 11 20 manager Angela Cahill said they had answered more than 30,000 calls during the pandemic.

“Many people with cancer are still taking precautions and isolating due to the higher risk of complications with COVID-19 for those who are immunocompromised,” she said.

Breast cancer survivor Drew Schenage, 52, was so anxious about surgery — and unsure which option to choose — she said she debated stopping treatment until she called 13 11 20.

“It was very traumatic and emotional,” she said.

“You don’t know which way to go.

“Within one day they connected me to a patient who had gone through something similar.

“Having that conversation is what helped me get through it.”