Experts Think The UK Should Treat Dementia More Like Cancer

Dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society and think tank The King’s Fund have called for a “cancer-style revolution” in dementia care, which they currently describe as being “stuck in the 20th century”.

A report published last week suggested that cancer used to be as stigmatised as dementia is now, claiming that “dementia is where cancer was 50 years ago”.

But cancer care, and indeed cancer outcomes, have improved drastically over those decades, despite real concerns. In the ’70s, about 25% of those diagnosed with cancer survived for 10 years or more; now, that’s about 50%.

When people who had experienced both dementia and cancer care were asked to compare the two by Alzheimer’s Society, 51% said their cancer treatment was better, while only 11% were more satisfied with their dementia care.

The charity said the successes of the NHS’ cancer programs ought to give policymakers a “blueprint for tackling dementia”.

On average, dementia is diagnosed 3.5 years after symptoms begin.

Michelle Dyson, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society, said that in comparison, “if you have cancer, it is treated urgently, you get a specific diagnosis, and there is a clear pathway that takes you through your care and treatment”.

“With dementia, it can be years before you get a diagnosis and, all too often, people are sent home with a leaflet and little else,” she continued.

Alzheimer’s Society has pushed for an 18‑week referral‑to‑treatment window (unlike cancer referral pathways, there is currently no set waiting time for dementia in the UK).

The government has already committed to appointing a “dementia tsar” who would oversee “sustained change” in how dementia is treated. This comes after the success of 2000’s first “cancer tsar”, Sir Mike Richards, who ran multiple national initiatives to improve treatment.

And experts think we need to change how we think about dementia, too, much as we’ve transformed how we see cancers over the years.

For instance, the report states that most of us aren’t aware that 45% of dementia cases could be preventable.

The paper reads: “Fatalism has increasingly been replaced by hope. People living with dementia need similar hope.”

Sir Mike Richards, the UK’s first cancer tsar, said that when he first joined oncology, people said things like “don’t they all die?”.

But, he continued: “While there are still real challenges in cancer, the progress made shows what can be possible when investment, collaboration, leadership and hope combine.

“Today, what continues to make the difference are clear diagnosis and treatment pathways with timed targets, and a national registry that tracks progress.”

The report authors said dementia is “at a turning point, with scientific advances creating opportunities that did not exist even five years ago”.

That means that learning how best to create and implement treatment and support systems is becoming more “urgent” than ever.

Sir Mike Richards said: “The conditions are right for the incoming dementia tsar to lead a movement for change, but it will require everyone involved – patients, clinicians, health service managers, academics, charities, industry, together with ongoing political will – to deliver long-term change.”