Extra nurse to cope with Jersey’s rising breast cancer rates

• Rising number of Islanders being diagnosed with breast cancer
• New nurse taken on to help meet the demand
• What are the top ten cancers in Jersey? See the list
• Find out more about breast cancer below

THE breast cancer care team at the Hospital has expanded to cope with the rising number of Islanders being diagnosed with the disease.

Matthew Stephenson, consultant in general and oncoplastic breast surgery at the Hospital, said that before his arrival in the Island two years ago there were between 50 and 60 cases of breast cancer a year.

He said that has now risen to about 90 annually.

• Breast
• Prostrate
• Colorectal
• Lung
• Malignant melanoma
• Head and neck
• Upper gastrointestinal
• Lymphoma
• Uterus
• Bladder

To ensure that the service can meet demand, it has increased the number of its nurses within the department from one to two.

Senga McNeill, an experienced breast cancer clinical nurse specialist, has been appointed following the retirement of Una De Ste Croix, who retired after 25 years with the department.

And Kath Hirani joined the team in May after a new position was created in partnership between the Hospital and the Jersey branch of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The charity has pledged £30,000 towards the training and development of Ms Hirani to enable her to become a breast cancer clinical nurse specialist.

Both nurses, who will have access to the Macmillan support and learning network, will care for women from diagnosis through to their treatment and beyond.

Mr Stephenson, who works with associate specialist Sarfraz Jamali, said: ‘This is about expanding our nursing role.

‘It is crucial to keep this service running effectively and efficiently for the long-term.’

Breast cancer diagnoses account for the largest number of new cancer diagnoses each year in Jersey.

• Cancers are the main cause of death in Jersey, accounting for just under a third of all deaths in 2012.
• Latest figures show that the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Jersey are breast, prostate, colorectal, lung and malignant melanoma. This is no different to other similar populations.
• Jersey has significantly higher rates of skin cancers, lung and head and neck cancer than the England average. Smoking, excessive alcohol use and UV exposure are the major risk factors for these cancers.
• Lung cancer alone accounts for more than a fifth of all cancer deaths – around 55 a year.

Mr Stephenson said that it is not known why rates of breast cancer in Jersey – which are similar to levels of incidence in the UK – have risen in recent years.

But he added that levels of breast cancer have increased generally across the Western world in recent years and said that the rise in levels in the Island may be due to the fact that more patients now stay in Jersey for treatment.

Andy Smith, director of Macmillan Cancer Support (Jersey), said: ‘Macmillan are here to help anyone affected by cancer in Jersey.

‘Diagnosis of breast cancer is on the increase so we felt it was really important to help support the people on the Island by providing this support.’

Ms Hirani was away on annual leave when the announcement was made.

• The charity receives no government funding for its research
• It has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last 40 years
• Today, two in four people survive cancer. The charity aims to accelerate its progress so that three in four people will survive cancer within the next 20 years.
• The charity supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses