Government attempts to simplify the system mean payments that previously took eight to 10 days are now taking eight to 10 weeks, the charity said.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) questioned Macmillan’s figures.

‘Survive on nothing’

A new system for disability benefit claimants was introduced in April. For the majority of claimants, Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) are replacing the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – claimed by 3.2m people – in what ministers say is a simplification of the system.

But Macmillan say early indications from their advisers working in hospitals and citizens advice bureaux are that the changes have left hundreds without support.

Keith Boyd, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in May, told the BBC the delay made him feel “like a second-class citizen”.

Mr Boyd said he waited three months without income after applying for support – despite his doctor saying he should be a priority.

“People were telling me I was entitled to this benefit but nobody was paying it… If you had children and you were trying to survive on nothing, I don’t know how you would do it.”

‘No commitment’

But a spokeswoman for the DWP said under the new PIPs, terminally ill cancer patients were “fast-tracked” and that under the previous system claimants had to fill in a 40-page form.

She said there were no “robust statistics” to back-up Macmillan’s claim that the change had caused delays for hundreds.

“Macmillan aren’t comparing like with like as DLA and PIP are completely different benefits with different claim processes.

“[The charity has] acknowledged that improvements in the system have been made since the new benefit was introduced in April and we continue to work with them to further streamline the process.”

Macmillan’s director of policy and research Mike Hobday told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “The principle of a fast-track process for terminally ill patients… is still there but the fact that the processing time has gone from eight-to-10 days to eight-to-10 weeks really is appalling.”

He said the charity was talking to DWP officials about the delays but added there was “no sign of a commitment to what the timescale should be”.

Claims from other terminally ill patients without cancer who qualify for the enhanced PIP rate are also “fast-tracked” and do not require a face-to-face consultation, the DWP says.

Over the next few years the government is replacing DLA for 16-64 year olds with the new PIP system.

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These problems can occur when healthy cells are damaged during treatment.

Macmillan says patients should be offered continuing support after their treatment for cancer.

Although more people are surviving cancer than ever before, thanks to better detection and new treatments, Macmillan says there can be long-term physical and mental consequences to cancer treatment which often go untreated.

Using a combination of published data and expert opinion, they calculated that 25% of those who have been diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives will be affected.

‘Doubled-edged sword’

Currently, they estimate that 350,000 people are living with sexual difficulties, 240,000 with mental health problems, 150,000 are affected by urinary problems such as incontinence, and 90,000 are experiencing problems like diarrhoea and bleeding as a result of having had cancer.

Certain cancer treatments also increase the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis or other cancers in survivors.

The report suggests that people who have had cancer are more likely to experience health problems than those without cancer.

Prof Jane Maher, chief medical officer of Macmillan Cancer Support, said progress was a double-edged sword.

“Put simply, the better we get at treating and curing cancer patients, the more people we will have living with the long-term effects of cancer and its treatment.

“Many of these problems can be managed using simple and inexpensive interventions by health professionals, while other more complex issues require specialist services.”

She said too many cancer survivors were suffering in silence.

Recovery package

A spokesman from NHS England said the report highlighted the future challenges the NHS had to meet.

“This is why we have launched a ‘Call to action’ as we need to engage the public and professions in a dialogue about how we create an NHS that meets people’s need in a personal way and is fit for the future rather than based on a 20th Century model.”

Ciarán Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said the NHS had underestimated the severity of the issue.

“We are urging them to ensure that all cancer patients receive a ‘cancer recovery package’ at the end of their treatment offering ongoing support.”

He added that no-one should be left to face the long-term consequences of cancer alone.

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Macmillan Cancer Support says the worst affected are those with mortgages to pay and children to support.

Its report, based on a survey of 1,600 cancer patients, says there are costs – like travelling to hospital – but some also suffer a loss in income. Macmillan says more should be done to help.

The government said measures were in place to help with patients’ finances.

The University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre carried out a postal survey on 1,600 cancer patients on behalf of Macmillan to see how their illness had affected their finances.

It found 83% incurred costs, on average, of £270 a month.

The biggest extra cost is attending hospital appointments, with 71% saying the cost of travel to and from hospital affects them. Just over a third also cited hospital parking fees as a significant extra bill.

Fuel bills often also rise as people spend more time at home recuperating.

‘Growing problem’

One in five (22%) said medicine costs were also a factor – and Macmillan said some patients might not be receiving the free prescriptions they may be entitled to.

Fewer patients lose income – the survey found the figure was about a third – but the average loss was about £830 a month.

People who were working and who had children were more likely to fall into that group. Those on a low income and those with a mortgage were also more likely to fall into this group.

Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive Ciaran Devane said: “This new research shows that cancer comes with a whopping price tag for many patients.

“Combined with the current recession and with welfare cuts, the cost of the disease is hitting the most vulnerable hardest.

“With the number of people living with cancer in the UK doubling from two to four million by 2030, this is a growing problem which cannot be ignored.”

The charity wants government, business and the NHS to offer more financial support to people with cancer.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “We recently launched a new initiative to improve quality of life for the 1.8 million people living with and surviving cancer, including a support checklist for doctors and nurses to make sure they give cancer patients the practical, physical and emotional support they need.

“No-one should be paying extortionate amounts to park in an NHS car park, whatever their condition. Many hospitals already provide concessions to patients who go to hospital regularly, including cancer patients undergoing treatment.

“We recently simplified the Employment Support Allowance process for people with cancer to help more people receive long term financial support they need while unable to work.”

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