Receiving a cancer diagnosis is one of the most difficult things anyone and their family can go through in life. I remember this from when I had my cancer diagnosis back in 2008. At the time, my daughters were 13 and 14. Telling them of my diagnosis was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
Unfortunately, like many other cancer patients, my diagnosis was delayed, but thankfully my treatment was successful.
For those with less survivable cancers, the reality is far worse. Each year in the UK, 90,000 people are diagnosed with less survivable cancers, which include brain, liver, lung, pancreatic, oesophageal and stomach cancers.
This number equates to just under half the number of residents in the Wokingham Borough Council area. Yet for these patients, the rate of surviving five years on from diagnosis is just 16%. Shockingly, this statistic has barely improved in 25 years, which is damning evidence of the Conservatives’ neglect after more than 10 years in power.
It is this terrible failure by the Conservatives, and its devastating impact on patients and their families, that helped to drive my campaign for a National Cancer Plan and the Less Survivable Cancers Westminster Hall Debate I led on Tuesday 6 January.
Since becoming an MP, I have consistently raised in Parliament the problems with the early diagnosis of cancer faced by many patients. Early diagnosis is absolutely vital in improving the survival rates for cancer patients, especially those with rarer cancers.
Leaving cancer undiagnosed is a ticking time bomb. Delays allow less survivable cancers to continue to progress rapidly, often reaching a stage where treatment becomes less effective or no longer an option.
That is why the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Less Survivable Cancers, chaired by the excellent Paulette Hamilton and of which I am proud to be a member, launched an inquiry into earlier detection and faster diagnosis.
Through this inquiry, APPG members had the invaluable opportunity to hear directly from researchers, charities, clinicians and those with lived experience about what measures must be included in the National Cancer Plan to guarantee earlier detection and diagnosis.
The APPG concluded that if earlier diagnosis rates were doubled, 7,500 more lives would be saved each year. As a result, deaths from these cancers could be reduced by 10%.
The APPG on Less Survivable Cancers has provided three specific recommendations.
Firstly, GPs must have access to better detection tests, research and tools when identifying symptoms for these cancers.
Less survivable cancers often present with vague symptoms, making them difficult to detect. Too often, vulnerable patients are forced to make repeated GP visits before finally receiving a diagnosis.
There are promising technologies already in development, such as Cytosponge for oesophageal cancer and Dxcover for brain cancer, which would allow healthcare professionals to identify these cancers earlier and more effectively.
Second, we must establish Centres of Excellence for each less survivable cancer. These would bring together researchers, clinicians and medical communities, strengthening collaboration and accelerating progress.
Finally, a nationwide case-finding programme must be introduced. This would proactively identify individuals at high risk of developing less survivable cancers, ensuring diagnosis happens as early as possible.
In early February, it is expected the Government will publish the National Cancer Plan I first called for in October 2024. It is absolutely crucial that the needs of those with less survivable cancers are placed at its heart.
Today, three in four hospitals are failing to meet cancer waiting time targets.
For patients with less survivable cancers, every day counts and each delay worsens outcomes. At the Royal Berkshire Hospital, which serves many of my constituents, some patients have reported waiting more than four months for treatment to begin.
Cancer care has been neglected by the previous Government.
These issues extend beyond hospitals to research facilities across the country. Less survivable cancers have historically been underfunded, limiting progress and innovation.
With the Rare Cancers Bill progressing through Parliament and the upcoming publication of the National Cancer Plan, the Government has two vital opportunities to transform survival outcomes for those with the least survivable cancers.
Reform must reach every hospital, every GP surgery and every cancer research facility.
We are, however, so lucky that our hospitals are staffed by excellent, talented healthcare professionals who look after cancer patients.
The Government has a great opportunity to transform cancer care in the UK. Many cancer charities, MPs, clinicians, researchers and over 13,000 residents have contributed to the plan.
It’s my hope that all these people will have been listened to by the Government and that the new National Cancer Plan is a huge success.
Cancer care was neglected by the previous Government, we must change that
