Cancer advice ‘requires fully-trained professionals’

Pharmacists have the potential to play a valuable role in promoting health but in terms of conducting cancer checks, the public must not be put in danger, an expert has asserted.

Hilary Jackson, Cancer Research UK’s policy manager, made her comments in response last week’s white paper which suggested that pharmacists could potentially play a greater role in the detection of cancer.

She explained that information and advice must be delivered accurately and appropriately by fully-trained professionals.

However, Ms Jackson added that she welcomes moves to aid the accessibility of cancer drugs by allowing repeat prescriptions to be delivered within communities.

“But such a move must be very closely monitored and audited and patients should be able to choose whether they wish to have access to drugs in this way,” she added.

In related news, the charity recently warned that eight in ten sun-bed users have increased their chance of suffering life-threatening skin cancer by as much as 75 per cent.