LAST week the Bolton Evening News revealed how Bolton breast cancer sufferers were having to wait longer for treatment than Government recommendations. Gayle Evans tells of theirr anguish

BREAST cancer victims in Bolton have described their anguish after claiming they have been forced to wait longer than the Government's one month target from diagnosis to surgery.

One woman described her wait of five weeks as "a living hell".

Mrs Winifred Byrom, aged 61, contacted the Bolton Evening News after we revealed last week that six women out of 25 had waited too long for breast cancer surgery in September.

The hospital had described this as a "blip" and the hospital's directorate manager of surgery Steve Ashworth played down the delays criticising the hype surrounding government targets saying the delays would not affect the clinical outcome.

However, Mrs Byrom hit back: "These targets are important. I was going out of my mind. Every day was like living two days. I would look at myself in the mirror and just see the cancer.

"I was worried the lump would grow. I couldn't stop crying. I just went to pieces."

Mrs Byrom had a mastectomy but said she was lucky that she had spotted the lump early and she did not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Meanwhile, Little Lever mum Debbie Crowder claims she had to wait more than seven weeks for surgery at the Royal Bolton Hospital -- and during the wait a second lump appeared.

This happened last May, with Mrs Crowder claiming the hospital failed to tell patients that they should be treated within one month of being diagnosed.

Mrs Crowder, aged 33, whose identical twin had also been treated for breast cancer, said: "I never even knew that these targets existed and I bet many other breast cancer patients don't know what their rights are. I experienced this delay more than a year ago which proves that delays have been going on for some time.

"I was very suprised that I was made to wait for surgery. When you are told you have cancer, you want it removed there and then. My friend went private and had the treatment done within a week. But I couldn't afford that."

Mrs Crowder claims that Bolton's Breast Unit is too busy and that the hospital cannot cope with the number of patients.

She has opted to have reconstructive surgery at a Chorley NHS hospital following her experiences at Bolton. Another woman, who did not wish to be named, said she waited five weeks for treatment at the Royal Bolton in April this year.

She said: "The hospital claims September was a one off. But it is clearly not the case."

Pat Mainon, of Hindley, said that she had to wait six months for a mammogram at the Royal Bolton Hospital after she grew alarmed at breast changes which she thought were pre-cancerous.

Ms Mainon, aged 61, a former Bolton General Hospital nurse, said: "I don't think people are aware of the horrendous wait for mammograms. I waited six months and that was with me pushing for it."

The Royal Bolton Hospital says that all breast unit staff are very aware of the anxiety women understandably feel and know that delays or uncertainty add to their concern.

The hospital says that it is meeting GP referral targets to see a patient within two weeks of referral and say latest figures for October, show 100 per cent of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer were treated within four weeks. Breast surgeons Hugh Bishop and John Winstanley issued the following statement: "We appreciate the concerns of women and their families when treatment doesn't happen as quickly as they would hope. We use our experience and clinical judgement to evaluate carefully each patient's condition and would reassure them that we take into account the affect that the timing of their appointment or treatment will have on their health. This includes those women who are not initially referred as urgent."

The hospital admits the unit is very busy and it is seeking funding to employ another specialist and a nurse practitioner to deal with the "exceptionally heavy workload."