It is time to take the politics out of health care and invest in cancer services to make them world class, efficient and friendly for all patients, says Karol Sikora

CANCER IS a common disease affecting one in three of the population. Politicians, with their never-ending quest for popularity, ruthlessly use it as a battleground for votes. And the media, fuelled by press releases from cancer charities, biotech companies and the increasing volume of litigation, continue to fill column inches with exaggerated good and bad news. It is a challenging field for cancer specialist nurses in the front line of patient care.