Bradford women will have to travel for some cancer operations after Leeds was chosen to host a specialist centre.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had hoped to continue major surgery for gynaecological cancers, including cervical, ovarian and vaginal cancer, at Bradford Royal Infirmary with a bid for gynaecological cancer centre status.

But now the surgery has started being carried out at St James's Hospital in Leeds after it was chosen over BRI and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust to host the specialist regional centre.

Yorkshire Cancer Network, which oversees the provision of cancer care in West Yorkshire, made the decision despite the death rate from cervical cancer in women aged under 75 being twice the national average in inner-city Bradford.

And across the whole Bradford district it stands at about 30 per cent worse than the national death rate.

Women will still be referred to BRI for scans and assessments and be able to have chemotherapy in the city but will have to go to Leeds if they need an operation, returning to Bradford for follow-up work.

BRI cancer specialist and consultant oncologist Dr Chris Bradley, said: "For certain cancers, such as breast cancer or bowel cancer, every hospital will do even the most complicated treatment. Less common cancers such as gynaecological cancers tend to be concentrated in certain hospitals.

"Over the last few years we have been looking across Yorkshire at the best way of getting the best cancer care for individual patients. For gynaecological cancers a lot of care takes place locally but major surgery takes place in Leeds.

"We have a specialist team at Bradford for stomach and gullet cancer so people come here from Huddersfield and Airedale. Bladder and prostate cancer care will also come to Bradford.

"It's about trying, for each individual cancer, to look where is the team with enough expertise and facilities to make sure wherever patients are being treated they are getting the best quality of care."

Dr Bradley was disappointed by the decision but supported the move as it was considered in patients' best interests.

Yesterday, the Telegraph & Argus reported that BRI's gynaecology day care ward is to shut and merge with a 30-bed ward in the hospital.

Lead manager for Yorkshire Cancer Network Barry Tinkler said the decision to make Leeds the specialist centre was based on guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

He said: "The proposals put forward by the three hospitals Trusts were reviewed by a panel and the recommendation was that the whole of specialist gynaecological services would be provided in Leeds.

"It was not that Bradford had a poorer bid but, on the various considerations, it was felt Leeds would provide the most appropriate care to meet the patients' needs in line with the NICE guidance.

"Leeds already has an established team of specialists such as medical, clinical and surgical oncologists, palliative care specialists and clinical nurse specialists. They need to grow it but it's more than what's currently available in Bradford or Calderdale & Huddersfield."

He said the decision was not based on financial considerations but on clinical grounds.