Well, Simon, all I can say is, I hope that you never ever get cancer. I have been a patient at the Royal Marsden in Chelsea for 7 years - the doctors there literally saved my life. It is a wonder ful hospital and the doctors are totally dedicated to saving life or giving their patients the best life they can have for however long they have got.

It is so much more than a building - apart from anything else (what do you know??) the loss of a couple of wards, and possibly loss or damage to MRI/CT scanners (all on the top floor of the hospital) could be a dreadful blow.

I feel desperately sorry for all the current patients affected by this, and hope that I do not need any more treatment before the hospital is back up and running normally. Heaven forbid I should have to be treated anywhere else. That hospital is my lifeline and home from home. It would be a big blow for cancer treatment in this country if the hospital cannot be up and running soon.

Gillian Barker, Subriton, Surrey, UK

i could not believe this dredful news,my 17yr old son was treated there before he died 3wks ago,the care and dedication at both marsden sites is fantastic,i hope they can restore the hospital to its former glory without causing to much of a dent to their funds,i hope the goverment can step in a lend a some much needed funds,without hospitals like the marsden my son wouldnt have lived as long as he did.tragic new start to the year for patients and staff.

samantha isted, uckfield, uk

In response to Simon of Preston --- it may only be a building but to the patients who are being treated there, it's literally a lifeline.

I know, because I was treated there. It becomes your world and place of safety. When you are going through treatment - and let's not forget that for many people this takes months - the very last thing you need is for everything to be thrown into confusion.

I've had the misfortune to be treated in a few hospitals and none compare to the Marsden in terms of expertise, care and compassion. The doctors who work there do so because they genuinely want to help people recover from cancer or help them to get the best out of the time they have left.

It's a special place that means a huge amount to a great deal of people - let's hope the damage can be quickly repaired.

Helen, Gloucestershire, UK