Considerable advances have been made recently in quality of life treatments, but the UK is being too slow making use of them

Dr Robert Glynn Jones

Key treatments which are not being used or could be used more often include bisphosphonates to reduce bone fractures, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to prevent infections and erythropoietin to overcome problems caused by anaemia, according to the survey.

Dr Robert Glynn Jones, consultant clinical oncologist at Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, and a member of CERT's expert advisory group, said: "Considerable advances have been made recently in quality of life treatments, but the UK is being too slow making use of them.

"It is absolutely crucial to keep the pain, the fractures, the fatigue and all the other debilitating symptoms that come with cancer and some of the tougher treatments at bay. Otherwise it is not living - it is just existing.

'Personal priority'

"It is not primarily a question of money but of doctors being more aware of these advances. We badly need the NHS to review the delivery of these new supportive cancer treatments."

Kate Law, head of clinical programmes at the Cancer Research Campaign, said: "It has to come back to centralised decisions. It is too early to know whether NICE is going to work. We hope that its decisions are taken up."

A health department spokesman said: "NICE is working to provide clear, independent and expert advice on which treatments work best for which patients. Health Secretary Alan Milburn has made dealing with cancer a personal priority.

"NICE is already taking action to improve the care cancer patients receive. It is looking at the ways in which cancer patients are referred to hospitals so that they get faster care; at guidelines on how to treat cancers including prostate and bladder; and it will provide definitive advice on the use of taxanes for ovarian and breast cancer."