Cancer-surviving opera singers team up with Zurich to create moving score confronting cancer’s wait problem

• Monica McGhee, whose career as a soprano - including singing to millions at the Wembley FA Cup Final - hung in the balance following a thyroid cancer diagnosis. She performs alongside fellow cancer survivors: Toby Spence (tenor) and Lee Michael Walton (pianist)
• The operatic score, called ‘About Time’, reflects the experiences of two in three cancer patients who say waiting for treatment was the hardest part of having cancer. Ranked higher than the treatment itself, worrying about money or even telling their kids
• Recording together at the famous Abbey Road Studios, the trio shared stories about their battle with cancer and the impact on their musical professions, offering hope to others in the queue for treatment
• The research highlights the need for prompt intervention; every additional month of waiting increases risk of death between 4-23%, depending on types of cancer and treatment.

London, 26 November 2024:

A moving performance by cancer-beating opera singers aims to give voice to the 77,000 people waiting more than two months since GP referral for cancer treatment this year. ‘About Time’, has been created in collaboration with insurer Zurich, to shine a light on the waiting times experienced by cancer patients in the UK.

The piece, which starts with a tender piano melody, evokes a sense of fragility and of time standing still in the face of extended waiting, while navigating feelings of fear and anxiety brought on by the diagnosis.

The partnership follows new research by Zurich, in partnership with Professor Allan Hackshaw at the UCL Cancer Institute, reveals that one in three (36%) patients now wait more than two months to start treatment following urgent GP referral - a far cry from NHS targets of no more than 15% of patients waiting beyond 62 days. For the vast majority (67%) of cancer survivors, waiting for treatment was the worst part of the whole experience, something the musical trio behind the new operatic score can relate to. This is due to shortages of both equipment and doctors alongside increasing pressure on NHS resources.

Monica McGhee, the soprano who wrote the piece, discovered a lump in her throat while warming up for a concert, not long after singing to millions at a packed Wembley FA Cup Final. Despite initially being dismissed by her GP, Monica recognised the potential impact the unknown growth could have on her singing career and pushed for testing, ultimately receiving a thyroid cancer diagnosis. With her career as a soprano on the line, Monica opted for a partial thyroidectomy to give her voice the best chance of recovery, even if that meant facing a 5-9% chance of recurrence.

“There is no easy way of dealing with the crushing news you might have cancer, especially when it threatens one of your reasons for living,” said Monica McGhee.

“As an opera singer, I am fortunate to still have a career after discovering a tumour in my throat and will be eternally grateful for the swift surgery and effective treatment that put me on the road to recovery. Tragically, that isn’t the experience of 77,000 people in the UK every year, which is why I felt compelled to lend my voice to anyone who feels unheard, and unseen, at such a difficult time.”

Like Monica, tenor Toby Spence is also a thyroid cancer survivor, having undergone surgery to remove his glands and several lymph nodes around his neck in February 2012, three months after diagnosis. Reflecting on his experience, Toby said he had never considered how integral his voice and his career as a singer were to his identity, adding that the months of rehabilitation needed after the surgery taught him to never take his voice for granted again.

“After my diagnosis, I was riddled with anxiety not knowing whether I would be able to sing again. I had no idea what the future would hold, or how my sense of self would be impacted by being sick” Toby said.

“A key part of my recovery was going back to singing lessons. Focusing on nursing my voice back to health helped me overcome the emotions that came with my diagnosis.”

Pianist Lee Michael Walton received his cancer diagnosis in 2006, when a tumour known as chondrosarcoma was found in the bone of his face. He had several complex – and at the time revolutionary – operations on his mouth and face, leaving him unable to speak. Determined to recover, Lee underwent extensive speech therapy and vocal training and has since been able to write, record and release original music inspired by his cancer journey.

All three artists are now cancer free, but tens of thousands face an excruciating wait for both diagnosis and treatment. The NHS aims to treat 85% of patients within 62 days of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer, but new analysis shows that just over six in ten (64%) patients* were seen within this timeframe between January and August 2024. One in three (36%) wait more than 62 days, and one in five (18%) wait more than 90 days.

The emotional cost of waiting for cancer treatment

• 9 in 10 (93%) patients* say their personal relationships were affected
• Half (46%) say anxiety was the prevailing emotion
• Followed by fear (37%), sadness (31%), frustration (25%) and desperation (20%)
• 1 in 3 (30%) felt that time moved really slowly
• However, 27% felt hope
• These emotions were reported similarly across age groups

To help cope while waiting to start cancer treatment:

• 45% focused on their family and friends
• 36% spent time on hobbies, such as music, art and writing

Professor Hackshaw puts the findings into context:

“Cancer care in the UK falls consistently short of where it could be, which is heartbreaking when we think about how far medical science has come in the past several years. Equipment and healthcare staff shortages make it very difficult for many NHS trusts to hit diagnosis and treatment targets, and this varies a lot across the UK. 97% of clinical directors report that workforce shortages are leading to backlogs and delays at their NHS Trust, with the UK having fewer pathologists than anywhere else in Europe.

“There is hope. We stand on the cusp of a revolution in cancer treatment, with precision oncology and access to effective targeted treatments, as well as modern immunotherapies, offering promise for millions around the world. These improvements will save lives, but access is key. It is really encouraging to see companies like Zurich helping to bring these improvements to more people with advanced cancer.”

The research highlights the need for prompt intervention to improve patient outcomes. For anti-cancer drugs, each four-week delay could increase the risk of death by 4% for bladder cancer, 9% for breast cancer and 13% for bowel cancer, while the risk of death for patients waiting an additional month for radiotherapy could increase by 3-9% for head and neck cancer, or a staggering 23% for cervical cancer. For patients waiting for surgery, each additional month could increase the risk of death by 6% for bladder, colon, head, neck or lung cancer, and 8% for breast cancer. In the survey, a quarter (28%) of those who were planned to have surgery had the operation cancelled while they waited because their cancer had progressed, with most (71% of those with cancelled surgery) reporting they were not considered fit enough for surgery.

Zurich’s Accelerate proposition offers virtual consultations, private diagnostic tests, second medical opinions, precision cancer medicine, access to leading overseas global treatment and support with cancer clinical trials in the UK and abroad. Accelerate is available as an optional addition to Zurich’s Life insurance, Critical Illness or Income Protection policies and is designed to provide complementary service to both public and private healthcare, offering patients greater control over their healthcare decisions.

Nicky Bray, Chief Underwriter at Zurich said:

“We are very lucky to have an NHS service in the UK, but the reality is, cancer is a waiting game, regardless of the challenges faced by the NHS. While many people are receiving a quick diagnosis and treatment, there are many factors influencing this - one of which is regionality. A cancer journey is not a linear path and there is no beginning middle or end. You wait for a diagnosis, then for treatment, then you wait to see if it has worked. Then for some, it’s about waiting for five years of remission as this changing disease could of course come back. With or without NHS delays, you’re always waiting for news which causes significant distress. Zurich helps people to protect the things they love, which is why we are committed to helping customers access rapid diagnosis.”

‘About Time’ underscores Zurich's commitment to enhancing the patient experience and therefore sustaining their world.

• To learn more about the campaign, please visit: www.zurichintermediary.co.uk/accelerate/about-time

Notes to editors

*people who have or had cancer within the past 5 years.

Methodology

The research was commissioned by Zurich, and analysed by Allan Hackshaw, Professor of Epidemiology & Medical Statistics at the UCL Cancer Institute, and Director of the UCL Cancer Trials Centre. This involved analysing data on waiting times for NHS Integrated Care Boards available from the NHS, and an online survey conducted by OnePoll using an omnibus research panel of 500 UK adults surveyed between 23rd and 25th October 2024; they all had cancer currently or within the last five years, with coverage across age groups and cancer types.

Getting diagnosed:

• 1 in 4 people waiting more than a month to get diagnosed (with cancer or not) after urgent GP referral for cancer-like symptoms.
• 1 in 20 wait more than 2 months.
• 64% of people in the survey felt that waiting times for diagnosis were too long; other studies show that common emotions during this time are anxiety and fear, and concerns for people around them.
• Waiting times to diagnosis varies a lot across the UK: 16% to 35% of people waited more than 1 month across regions (NHS target upper limit is 25%) [and I’ll show the top 5 and bottom 5]. 2% to 9% of people waited more than 2 months across regions.
• 40% (17/42) NHS integrated care boards (regions) went beyond the 25% target.
• Although specific regions are ranked high or low, what matters most is the wide variability across the NHS; need greater equity.
• Main reasons for delays are: not enough staff (radiologists, pathologists) or scanning machines.
• Getting diagnosed with cancer at an early stage associated with being 3-4 times more likely to survive than late stage/advanced disease.

Getting treated:

• NHS target is that 85% of people diagnosed with cancer should start treatment within 2 months from the GP referral; but 1 in 3 waited more than 2 months and 1 in 6 waited more than 3 months.
• During this waiting time, the most common emotions were anxiety (46%), fear (37%), hope, frustration, desperation. These were broadly similar across younger (<=44) and older (>=45) people.
• During this waiting time, psychological impacts were depression (35%), worry over the cancer spreading, feeling lack of control and helpless. Again, broadly similar across younger and older people.
• Waiting times to treatment varies a lot across the UK. 21% to 59% of people waited more than 2 months across regions (the NHS target is that these should be <=15%). [and I’ll show the top 5 and bottom 5]. 2% to 9% of people waited more than 2 months across regions.
• Although specific regions are ranked high or low, what matters most is the wide variability across the NHS; need greater equity.
• Main reasons for delays are: not enough oncologists, demand for cancer drugs exceeding consultant oncology workforce, not enough advanced radiotherapy machines and not enough staff to use them
• Delays in cancer treatments (surgery, chemo, radiotherapy) lead to increase risk of dying: 6-8% surgery, 4-13% drugs.
• Several modern effective drugs as part of precision oncology require genomic testing (lung, ovary, bowel), but relatively few patients currently are getting access to this at present, and therefore cannot benefit from these highly effective treatments.