Sarah, Duchess of York has warned the Government against neglecting teenagers with cancer in its upcoming national health plans for the disease.
The ex-wife of the Duke of York has signed an open letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for faster diagnoses, better access to clinical trials and improved mental health support for young people with cancer.
Writing in The Times, the duchess said health policies which fail to take teenagers with the disease into account can have “devastating” and “tragic” consequences.
She reflected on her own double diagnosis, first with breast cancer in 2023 and then skin cancer in 2024.
The duchess wrote: “I have gone through two diagnoses. It’s incredibly important to me to seek to amplify the voices and experiences of people with cancer who receive less attention, whose voices are not listened to and who can be overlooked.
“One group consistently neglected by those developing health plans and policies is teenagers and young adults with cancer.
“The impact can be devastating.”
The duchess has previously described thinking her own diagnosis was a “death sentence”, saying it felt like a “bomb going off in your life” and took her mind to the “darkest places”.
She backed the Teenage Cancer Trust’s campaign #AndYoungPeople on Wednesday and signed an open letter to Mr Streeting asking for teenagers to be considered in the national cancer plan for England.
The duchess, who has been a patron of the charity for many years, wrote: “As most cases of cancer occur in people over 50, they find themselves in a system that isn’t designed with young people in mind and continue to suffer huge disadvantages.”
She also told of speaking to teenagers who had been “fobbed” off by health professionals despite presenting multiple symptoms, adding: “The consequences can be tragic.”
The Department of Health and Social Care launched a call for evidence to help shape a national cancer plan in February.
The blueprint, which is expected later this year, will aim to transform cancer care by improving diagnosis, screening and treatment, as well as bolstering research and looking at ways to help prevent the disease.
Kate Collins, chief executive at the Teenage Cancer Trust, said teenagers and young adults were “often overlooked”.
She added: “There’s an opportunity right now for the Government to make a huge difference to the health of a generation – a difference that will have a real impact on their commitment to tackle the biggest killers and build a UK where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.”
