The wait was agony: Women with life-threatening breast cancer face weeks of delays

I was worried it would grow and spread, Charlotte Park, a breast cancer patient tells The Independent. What happens if I hadnt been that really pushy person? Sometimes I still go into a dark place and I think: I am so lucky to be here.

The 50-year-old, from Richmond in south west London, found a lump in her breast in June 2020 and went straight to see her GP who informed her she would have to wait two weeks to see a specialist. After a fortnight of waiting, she started to panic and rang the clinic who said they were still working through referrals from four to six weeks prior to her referral.

I was getting frustrated and impatient by this point, Ms Park recalls. There was no leeway and they didnt see if they could squeeze me in. I just felt frustrated. There was nothing I could do. It was all out of my hands. I was feeling teary.

Ms Park is one of thousands of women with breast cancer in England facing delays of weeks or months to see a specialist or receive treatment. Data, shared exclusively with The Independent, shows delays were substantially worse for those with breast cancer than other forms of cancer.