CANCER patients who live more than an hour from their nearest major hospital are diagnosed and treated faster than those who live closer. 

But they are still more likely to die within a year of diagnosis, according to new research.

Scientists from the University of Aberdeen who carried out the study have described the findings as a ‘cancer geography paradox’.

The team analysed data from more than 12,000 patients from across north-east Scotland, northern Scotland and the Northern Isles, looking at their travel time to the nearest major hospital, the time taken for treatment to begin and their survival rates within a year.

They found those who lived in the Northern Isles were 32 per cent more likely to start treatment within 62 days of their GP’s referral, compared to those living within 15 minutes of their treatment centre. 

Those from the mainland living more than an hour’s travel from their cancer treatment centre were 42 per cent more likely to start treatment within 62 days of their GP referral than those who lived within 15 minutes away. 

They also found that people living in the Northern Isles were 72 per cent more likely to have their diagnosis and treatment started on the same or next day compared to those who lived within 15 minutes of their cancer treatment centres.

However, the study revealed faster treatment did not translate into better survival rates, with those living more than an hour away or in the islands being significantly more likely to die in the first year after treatment than those living closer by.

The researchers say the findings suggest more must be done to analyse how people with cancer interact with specialist services after they have been diagnosed.

The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, is understood to be the first study anywhere to examine the impact of burden of travel on the cancer diagnostic process.

“These contradictory findings on time to diagnosis and mortality are perplexing to say the least,” says Dr Peter Murchie, clinical consultant at the University of Aberdeen, who led the study.

“The findings suggest that what happens to patients after their diagnosis may be much more important. It could be that living in rural areas where you have to travel further to receive treatment might limit treatment choices once a diagnosis has been made.

"There is evidence that when faced with two treatment options, patients might weigh the costs in terms of time, expense and inconvenience of travel against the perceived benefits, for example, choosing surgery over chemotherapy to limit time in hospital."