Anger over 'unnecessary' treatment

Chris Hamilton, consultant clinical oncologist at Hull's Princess Royal Hospital, said the problem was a Government requirement that all treatment began within 31 days of diagnosis.

He said it meant some low-risk patients were being treated before more urgent cases.

In an interview with the BBC, he said he had given some prostate cancer patients hormone therapy to move them down the waiting list.

He said: "You're caught in a bind. Either you give them unnecessary treatment with hormones and reclassify them or you put them to the front of the queue where they shouldn't really be," he said in an interview due to be broadcast on the Julian Worricker programme on Radio Five Live.

He added that he knew other hospitals were carrying out a similar practice and he had informed national cancer director Mike Richards.

The Department of Health said it was not the case that all treatment must begin within 31 days of diagnosis.

"If there is a clinical reason for not starting treatment within the four week guideline or the patient does not want to start treatment immediately there is clear provision within the guidance for the patient to be taken out of the list," a spokeswoman said.

The Prostate Cancer Charity condemned Mr Hamilton's claims. Dr Chris Hiley, the charity's head of policy and research, said: "It would be totally unacceptable if hormone treatment were being prescribed for men with prostate cancer simply in order to meet treatment target times - when it is not required to treat their cancer. Exposing men to these risks to meet Government targets would be deeply unethical and fly in the face of informed consent."

Hull and the East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust was unavailable for comment.