That is what I wanted when I had to make the choice about whether or not to have chemotherapy. A test that could tell me whether my particular tumour was likely to recur. That’s all. A test. Something that could answer the burning, consuming, toxic question: Is chemotherapy the right choice for me?
NICE are considering whether to recommend this test nationally in new guidelines, but as with all NICE guidelines, the Primary Care Trusts can – and do – bend the rules. Or totally ignore them. Despite NICE recommending the top age for IVF treatment be increased to 42, I still know of women under this age being refused by Portsmouth PCT on any technicality they can grasp.
NICE is meant to prevent a post-code lottery in treatments offered but that still seems to be happening, regardless of good intentions. It’s all about money, and cancer is big business for some.