I'm hoping not to die by Christmas – but Labour must address even bigger battle

I'm hoping not to die by Christmas – but Labour must address even bigger battle OPINION - ROBERT FISK: There's no room for compromise, this has to happen - the alternative doesn't bear thinking about. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Robert Fisk 06:00, Sat, Oct 17, 2026 Robert Fisk is hoping not to die by Christmas (Image: Daily Express/Jonathan Buckmaster) Three years ago a man put a camera up my arse. It wasn't on a stag do. It wasn't for a dare. It was a medical procedure to determine how much cancer I had in my bowel. The camera discovered what was later described as a "sinister looking mass" and I was diagnosed as having stage four incurable bowel cancer. I thought of that man this week as I lay on a medical bed while a woman made a small incision in my neck and took three samples from my lymph nodes. Similarly to three years ago, it was a procedure she'd trained for years to be able to do, rather than any kind of dare or stag do prank. The official results will determine just how far my cancer has spread from its original sites in my lower intestine, liver, and edge of my stomach lining. And preliminary results suggest all is not well. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Andy Burnham introduces new £1.98 driveway rule - starts in October Yorkshire Wildlife Park issues major new update on fate of tiger after man mauled to death Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family . Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . The radiologist looked at eight lymph nodes, which she described as abnormal, with highly suspicious cells in. As someone who works with words for a living, I wonder whether suspicious is less alarming than the way my original tumour was described as sinister. Hopefully it is, because a sinister-looking man sounds scarier than someone who is suspicious-looking. This week's procedure came a week after a doctor from my medical team had told me my scan results weren't fantastic and had flagged up issues that need further investigation. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT She told me not to worry about it, but did appreciate this is easier said than done. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Thousands of cancer patients will be in the same position this week, with scan results that have flagged up issues needing further investigation. And even if a biopsy or different type of scan happens quickly, they will be facing an agonising wait before they meet with their medical team again to discuss the next steps. I've calculated that even though I have an appointment with my doctors on Tuesday, they won't be ready to discuss the scan results until my next appointment two weeks later. That's a month after I was told to not worry about it. That's a month of knowing that it's highly likely my cancer has spread around my body through the lymph nodes and so, instead of fighting a war on two fronts like it was initially, I need to be prepared for a full-scale aerial assault so I'm not dead by Christmas. So, when the doctor from my medical team told me not to worry I wish she had gone a stage further. I wish she had acknowledged that this is a worrying time for cancer patients and explained that there are support services available for people to talk to and to come to grips with what might be in their future. At my hospital there's a centre run by the Maggie's cancer charity where I could have spoken to someone. At other hospitals there are centres run by Macmillan, and also other smaller charities. But I only know about these because I've been battling cancer for almost three-and-a-half years. Most patients won't instantly know where to get support for any emotional issues they are facing. When giving bad news to patients it's not enough for doctors to acknowledge that a patient might be worried. They should always be aware that cancer might be the worst thing that patient has ever faced, and so mention the mental health support services that are available and do any referrals necessary to help them. This is why – throughout our Cancer Care campaign – we at the Daily Express have said that cancer patients need mental health support both during and after treatment. Their mental health needs should be at the forefront of their oncology team's minds throughout the battle with the devastating disease. This should be integral to the Personal Cancer Plan, which former health secretary Wes Streeting pledged back in February. But time is marching on and we now need Yvette Cooper to step up and show us the detail. She must take Wes's words and turn them into action. Cancer Bowel cancer Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments