Blood cancers are the fifth most common cancer type in the UK, impacting hundreds of thousands of people, and are the third biggest cause of cancer deaths. Unlike solid tumours, blood cancers cannot be treated surgically. They often require immediate, aggressive treatment, which can lead to long-term side effects such as infertility and other health issues. The impact of this is felt not only physically, but also emotionally, psychologically and financially.
Leukaemia alone affects more than 60,000 people in the UK. At Leukaemia UK, we hear daily from patients who face hidden costs, disrupted careers, and the emotional toll of living with a weakened immune system. Many patients who are diagnosed with chronic leukaemia are placed on “Watch and Wait” plans, leaving them uncertain when, or if, they will need to begin treatment. This uncertainty significantly affects people’s mental wellbeing and quality of life.
The financial burden faced by people with leukaemia is equally stark, with the median financial impact on a blood cancer patient standing at £181 per month, compared with £120 for a patient with breast cancer or £52 for prostate cancer. This includes food costs associated with specialist diets and additional use of home heating to keep warm, due to treatment side effects.
Additionally, nearly 65% of patients are forced to reduce working hours or stop work completely following diagnosis, as the often-harsh nature of leukaemia treatment makes an impact. This can also be because many leukaemia patients must immediately start chemotherapy, whereas solid cancers can usually start with milder treatments if caught early.
Despite these impacts, we have found that only 9% of people with leukaemia have been offered a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA). This simple but powerful tool helps identify a patient’s physical, emotional, and practical needs.
A HNA is a simple questionnaire which is completed by a person affected by cancer.It allows patients to highlight the issues which they feel are, or are likely to be, most important to them. They should be conducted by a leukaemia expert clinical nurse specialist (CNS).
The results then guide the development of a care and support plan by a specialist nurse or expert key worker to ensure these needs are addressed.
Multiple assessments should be conducted throughout the patient’s cancer experience – at diagnosis, during active treatment, and in the post-treatment phase. Given that physical and psychological burdens frequently persist or worsen beyond treatment completion.
We are proud to support the Daily Express campaign that all cancer patients should be offered a holistic needs assessment, so they can have a personal care plan that is holistic and recognises the mental impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
This is also something we are calling on the Government to address specifically for leukaemia patients in the upcoming National Cancer Plan, ensuring everyone with leukaemia is offered a HNA at the point of diagnosis, during and after treatment.
We urge the Government to recognise the unique needs of leukaemia patients and ensure that they take this opportunity to close the existing gaps in care and provide the resources that leukaemia patients so desperately need.