MP openly talks of his cancer battle and why he's standing down

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove has spoken of his battle with cancer in a bid to increase early diagnosis of the often fatal disease.

The Conservative politician is in remission from oeso-phageal cancer following major surgery three years ago and there is currently no sign of the disease in his body.

However, he said one of the reasons why he decided to step down as Hove MP in May is because statistically there is a high chance he will not survive another parliamentary term.

At a parliamentary debate yesterday, Mr Weatherley said: “Of all those diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, about 42 out of every 100 people will live for at least one year after they are diagnosed. And, tragically, about 85 out of every 100 people will die within five years.

“When people ask why I am leaving parliament after one term, I answer that one of the reasons is that with a probability that high, I will not see out another parliament.

“I am not prepared to be locked within eight minutes of the division bell for what could be, in effect, the short time that is the rest of my life.”

Oesophageal is the ninth most common cancer in the UK and about 8,500 people have it diagnosed each year. Mr Weatherley, 57, had an operation to remove his oesophagus, also known as the gullet, and part of his stomach, which was followed by gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

During the debate, Mr Weatherley called for greater awareness of oesophageal cancer and a commitment to additional resources, chiefly to fund a quicker, more efficient diagnostic procedure.

He said: “My father said to me that being born in the UK is like winning the lottery of life. He was completely right and I am alive today because of our wonderful NHS. I wanted to have this debate in Parliament to highlight the devastating impact that oesophageal cancer has on people across the country, but also to demonstrate as living proof that the healthcare in this country is worth every penny.

“While the NHS does a fantastic job treating cancer patients, more can be done to improve the services that are available.”

Mr Weatherley went to his doctor in 2011 before being diagnosed with cancer in 2012. He is recommending seven improvements to the Department of Health, including making the process of seeing a GP much easier, speeding up access to tests and providing extra resources for them, and educating patients so they recognise the symptoms of the disease.

For cancer support and information, visit cancerresearchuk.org.

Mike Weatherley MP speaks openly about his condition:

His diagnosis

In November 2011 I had my dinner as normal – but what was not normal was that it didn’t settle well and I threw up.

I dismissed it as probably a bug of some sort. Then it happened again a few days later. Clearly something was not right, but I did not relish the hassle of getting an appointment to see my GP – I hate going to see my GP, not because I don’t like my GP but because the booking system is so frustrating.

So I put it off another week or so but in mid-December 2011, still throwing up occasionally, I decided to battle the booking system and I went to see my GP.

My GP referred me to the local NHS hospital and five weeks later I got an appointment to see a gastroenterologist.

The first diagnosis was excess stomach acid so I was put on antacids and also put on the list for both an endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Unfortunately, the painful probes were inconclusive, as was the follow-up CT scan. Nothing was really found other a severely restrictive oesophagus, but by now eating was becoming a major problem.

His operation

The full extent of just how serious this was had not fully registered with me – when I was in the pre-op room I was asked what I had done to prepare in the morning and I said I had gone to work. And I had – I went into Parliament in the morning, drafted some letters to some constituents and, at the required time, popped across the river and slipped on the less than flattering gown.

The surgery it turns out is equivalent to a triple heart by-pass. The whole oesophagus is removed plus, in my case, a third of my stomach.

Despite this ordeal, the worst moment was still to come. Until this point no cancer had been detected but a week after the operation, Professor Mason, my surgeon, came in and gave me the confirmation – the biopsy confirmed stage three cancer.

There is nothing in this world that can prepare you for the words “you have cancer”.

Sadly, oesophageal cancer is particularly aggressive and over half of oesophageal cancer patients die within a year.

All sorts of things go through your mind when you hear stats like that. From severe regret for potentially not seeing your kids get married to even more regret about not being treated earlier – every week really does matter – and many more dark thoughts.

And a sobering fact – if Professor Mason had not insisted that the operation should be in April, and if he had agreed to wait until July like I wanted, then it seems very likely that I would have been dead by Christmas 2012.

Receiving hate mail There are a lot of people out there in society who should hold their heads in shame.

Around this time, as a result of my work in Parliament on various issues, I was getting death threats and other hate-filled correspondence, including many who simply tweeted ‘get cancer’.

I wanted to reply saying ‘too late – already have it!’ but, of course, refrained.

What this experience did do though was to serve as a stark contrast.

On the one hand I was seeing the best of society in the treatment delivered by really very caring people – and then there are the despicable members of society who contribute nothing positive.

Anyone who supports this kind of hatred should spend a day in a hospital to see how lucky they are, and how great doing good is.

Charities

Support groups such as Mac-millan Cancer Support and CANCERactive are key in providing aid and comfort to those with cancer.

Besides providing emotional support to the victims of cancer and their families, they often go the extra mile to provide information such as treatment options, local support groups, and holistic alternatives to surgery and chemotherapy and cancer prevention. I was lucky – I had a great partner who helped me through it all. I did have one moment in a restaurant and I couldn’t eat when I hit a terrible low, morale-wise, and started reaching for the support line, but for the most part I didn’t have to fight this on my own. But many sadly do and these support groups are vital.

Changes

First of all, we should make the process of seeing your GP much easier. No one should be put off making an appointment at the first available opportunity. Secondly, make every effort to improve testing at the point of contact with GPs and ensure rapid follow-up access to hospital diagnostic tests. Giving some GPs direct access to hospital specialist tests such as endoscopy and CT scanning would speed diagnosis.

Thirdly, we should educate patients so they will recognise symptoms of oesophageal cancer which will lead to an earlier detection of cancer and higher survival rates.

Fourthly, I believe there are some quick wins that, if implemented, could speed processes, remove inefficiencies and save money. For example, at the moment if someone is referred for a chest X-ray and findings are abnormal, the results go back to the consultant or GP and the person has to have another appointment before they can be referred for an additional test, such as a CT scan. If a chest X-ray is found to be abnormal and the person was then referred straight for a CT scan, it would save on unnecessary GP or consultant appointments.

Fifthly, another factor in poor care is that it is almost invariably due to work pressure and volume. When previously mentioned campaigns are announced by the Government, they create a surge in demand, which causes problems for medical staff because they cannot cope with the high volume.

What I would like the Minister to consider is allocating extra resources for endoscopy, demand for which goes up by around 10% per year, in my local hospital for example.

To give patients dignity and respect most doctors would need an hour per patient to talk them through their diagnosis, treatment and surgery.

Fundamentally, we need to see a shift towards a symptom-based approach rather than a disease focused one, so people with vague symptoms are more likely to be referred for appropriate and necessary tests. And sixthly, this is a recommendation direct from another specialist surgeon: ‘I fully support the Action Against Heartburn organisation emphasising the need to take seriously symptoms of persistent heartburn and dysphagia and not having more and more medications without investigation.’ The last, seventh, strategy I recommend is greater hospice care away from hospitals for the end of life, to support people and allow them to spend their final weeks and days in a place of their choice, rather than in a hospital bed.