Wellness
Welsh Government urged to invest in breast cancer services
The Welsh Government has been urged to invest in breast cancer services after figures showed continuing delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Breast Cancer Now said the target for 75 per cent of patients to be seen within 62 days of initial referral has been met only three times since the Suspected Cancer Pathway was introduced in 2020.
The latest figures, published on July 23, showed that 172 patients, or 60 per cent, were seen within 62 days of being initially referred.
The charity said performance varied widely between health boards.
Melanie Sturtevant, associate director of policy, evidence and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said: “We have a bold vision that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer, lives and lives well, but to see this become reality in Wales we need real action and ambition from the new government for quicker and earlier diagnosis of breast cancer to save and improve lives.
“We’re ready to work with the new government to ensure people in Wales are diagnosed quicker and start treatment faster through reduced waiting times, and earlier with improved breast screening uptake through a breast screening awareness campaign, and provision of more convenient, flexible access to breast screening services.”
Breast Cancer Now called on the Welsh Government to invest in improving waiting times and warned of what it described as “complacency” in Wales.
It said health boards need greater support to identify and address the underlying causes of delays and measure performance at key stages of the cancer pathway.
The charity also urged the new government to prioritise earlier diagnosis by improving participation in NHS breast screening.
It called for Wales to meet the minimum screening uptake standard of 70 per cent and aim for the achievable standard of 80 per cent.
The charity said the NHS breast screening uptake target has been missed in Wales for the past seven years.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Wales, with 2,800 people diagnosed each year.
The number is projected to rise by 23 per cent to 3,449 cases by 2035.
Breast Cancer Now said urgent action was therefore needed from the new Welsh Government to make early diagnosis a priority.
In response, the Welsh Government said: “We recognise that performance against cancer waiting times is not where we want it to be which is why, as a new Government, we are taking decisive action on cancer by developing a 10-year National Cancer Strategy to transform the way the health service prevents, diagnoses, and treats the disease.
“The strategy will set out an ambitious vision for cancer care in Wales. This will include emphasis on earlier diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer.
“Optimal pathways of care for all types of cancer will be developed in partnership with patients and clinical experts to ensure that modern, evidence-based care is available wherever a person lives in Wales.
“In the meantime, NHS Performance and Improvement is working with health boards in Wales to improve cancer waiting time performance.”
Small bowel microbiome differences between women and men may help explain why some conditions are more common in women, a study suggests.
The small bowel microbiome is the community of microorganisms living in this part of the digestive tract, where they play vital roles in immune function, metabolism and hormonal regulation.
Researchers found differences between women and men in the composition and organisation of these microbial communities. One bacterial community containing Granulicatella was found only in women.
The study was conducted by investigators at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.
Ruchi Mathur, director of clinical research and clinical operations for the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study, said: “One intriguing finding was a bacterial community containing Granulicatella, which we found only in women.
“Bacteria in this community appear at increased levels in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome.”
The researchers also identified differences between women and men in how microbes in the small bowel produce fructans, complex carbohydrates known to trigger digestive symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
IBS is far more common in women than men.
Mathur, who is also a professor of medicine, said: “Our findings show that biological sex is a critical variable in the small bowel microbiome.
“We must consider it as we move toward more personalised approaches to understanding and treating disease.”
Weight loss surgery was linked to more regular periods and fewer polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) symptoms in women aged 18 to 45 living with obesity in a recent study.
The researchers recommend that women undergoing the procedure have access to preconception care and reproductive counselling to support their reproductive health.
Researchers at the University of Surrey analysed data over 24 months from 84 women who underwent bariatric surgery and 18 women living with obesity who did not have surgery.
Of those who underwent surgery, 49 had gastric bypass procedures and 35 had gastric sleeve surgery.
Women who underwent metabolic bariatric surgery lost more than 30kg on average at 12 and 24 months after the procedure.
Among women with polycystic ovaries, the condition persisted in only 10 per cent after 24 months.
Women also reported a resolution of clinical hirsutism, or excess body hair, by 12 months.
Women who had previously experienced irregular periods reported more regular menstrual cycles after surgery.
Professor Martin Whyte, co-author of the study and professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Surrey, said: “A large proportion of those undergoing bariatric surgery are women of reproductive age, who may be planning a pregnancy in the coming years.
“So much remains unknown about the impact of this type of surgery on women who are planning to have children.
“This raises the question of when the ideal time after surgery is to conceive.”
Women have a higher prevalence of obesity than men, with 57 per cent of women in the UK classified as overweight and 27 per cent living with obesity, which can affect fertility and the health of an unborn baby.
The researchers said 17 women had healthy pregnancies following surgery.
Although this was not specifically examined in the study, no difference in birth weight was observed between babies conceived within or after the first year.
Dr Kathryn Hart, co-author of the study and associate professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Surrey, said: “What we have found is that bariatric surgery positively affects the reproductive health of women living with obesity and can improve the likelihood of them having a healthy pregnancy after surgery.
“Dysregulated hormone levels, irregular periods and conditions such as polycystic ovaries are affected by obesity.
“By reducing this, what we have seen is that it can lead to improvements without the need for medication.
“We would suggest that clinicians consider medical intervention for obesity to treat irregularities in the menstrual cycle and issues with fertility.”
Young women are more likely than young men to get health and wellness information from social media influencers, a US survey has found.
Among adults aged 18 to 29, 57 per cent of women said they received health and wellness information from influencers, compared with 47 per cent of men.
The Pew Research Center study surveyed 5,023 US adults and examined how young people consume health and wellness content online.
Local university students said influencer content frequently appeared in their social media feeds.
Kabija Koroma, a local university student, said: “It’s more exercise stuff, more like protein and like meals and like how to get ready and like the outfits of the day of videos on TikTok or lately. My favourite ones.”
About 51 per cent of women under 30 said they often consumed influencer content focused on beauty and personal appearance, compared with 18 per cent of men.
The study also found that 21 per cent of women often saw content about therapies outside mainstream medicine, compared with 10 per cent of men.
At least one-third of both young women and young men often encountered influencer content about mental health and weight loss. Around half or more of both groups regularly saw fitness-related content.
Another local university student, Ania Davis, said: “I see a lot like how to meal prep and how to get your morning started. Affirmations stuff. But I do also ask the adults around me because sometimes the internet is not right.”
Researchers also looked at why young adults sought health and wellness information from influencers.
About 51 per cent of young women said they watched the content because they wanted to change their health or lifestyle.
Women were also more likely than men to say they enjoyed hearing from people who shared their background or beliefs, at 23 per cent compared with 14 per cent.
Nineteen per cent of young women said they used influencer content to learn about topics they did not want to ask their doctors about, compared with 10 per cent of young men.
Despite regularly using social media, some students said they did not rely solely on influencer content when making decisions about their health and wellness.
Koroma said: “I’m always on TikTok 24/7 and Instagram, but I also like to ask people older than me because I don’t know everything.”
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