Found: build on what I think was a successful debate on a private Member’s Bill earlier this year—the Rare Cancers Bill

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what factors are considered when allocating investment for research in the less survivable cancers; and what steps he is taking to combat underfunding for less survivable cancers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

These investments are pivotal to informing our efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of this investment is Imperial College London’s research on breath tests to detect less survivable cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Further information on the research is available at the following link:

https://imperialbrc.nihr.ac.uk/2023/06/05/imperial-led-uk-cancer-breath-tests-reach-final-stages/

Another example of Government investment was the launch of the NIHR’s national Brain Tumour Research Consortium in September 2024, which is bringing together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of making scientific advances in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat rare and less-survivable brain tumours in adults and children.

The NIHR welcomes further high-quality proposals from researchers to inform approaches to prevention, treatment, and care in relation to less survivable cancers. Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. The Government supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for less common cancers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage research into detection (a) tools and (b) tests for the early detection of (i) pancreatic and (ii) other less survivable cancers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

These investments are pivotal to informing our efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of this investment is Imperial College London’s research on breath tests to detect less survivable cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Further information on the research is available at the following link:

https://imperialbrc.nihr.ac.uk/2023/06/05/imperial-led-uk-cancer-breath-tests-reach-final-stages/

Another example of Government investment was the launch of the NIHR’s national Brain Tumour Research Consortium in September 2024, which is bringing together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of making scientific advances in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat rare and less-survivable brain tumours in adults and children.

The NIHR welcomes further high-quality proposals from researchers to inform approaches to prevention, treatment, and care in relation to less survivable cancers. Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. The Government supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for less common cancers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include astrocytoma brain cancer in the (a) National Cancer Plan, (b) Rare Cancers Bill and (c) NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will take into account the needs of all patients with brain tumours. This means we will not be excluding any kinds of brain or spinal cord tumours and astrocytomas will be included as part of our work on brain tumours.

The Rare Cancers Bill as currently drafted is relevant to cancers that affect not more than 1 in 2000 people in the United Kingdom. Astrocytoma and low grade gliomas fit this definition and will therefore be relevant to the Bill.

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that will speed up access to clinical trials for cancer vaccines and immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic so any company, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to improve access to clinical trials for people with rare blood cancers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients in the National Health Service, including those with rare blood cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports NHS patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England, to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into rare blood cancers. NIHR infrastructure schemes aim to build research capacity and capability across all geographies, settings, and disease areas within the NHS.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve access to clinical trials in the NHS for cancer patients across the country, including patients with rare cancers.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them, including research into blood cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support early access to clinical trials for patients with rare cancers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, life-saving treatments, including those with rare cancers.

We are also working to fast track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, to improve health outcomes and to accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers.

The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million across 2023/24, reflecting their high priority.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country, including patients with rare cancers. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with devolved administrations to develop a shared nationwide research strategy for rare and less common cancers, including sarcoma, to overcome barriers including market failure in the development of new drugs and underfunding, and to promote clinical trials and patients' equitable access to them and speed up the development of new treatments.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to work with the devolved administrations to develop a nationwide research strategy for rare and less common cancers. However, both the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which is the Department’s research delivery arm, and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are members of the UK Cancer Research Strategy Forum, which brings together funders and other stakeholders from across the United Kingdom to share information and identify areas for collaboration where beneficial. Similarly, we acknowledge the importance of a UK-wide data focus, and that health and care data can be accessed safely and effectively across the UK to support individual care and to improve outcomes.

The Department is proud to invest £1.6 billion each year on research through the NIHR. NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

The NIHR is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, by working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers.

The Government supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and increase access to innovative treatments for rare cancers, such as sarcoma. As such, the Department has been closely engaging with the devolved administrations who are supportive of the ambitions of the bill.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including rare and less common cancers. It remains committed to the role of research to improve outcomes for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to improve access to innovative treatments for patients diagnosed with rare cancers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year, will include details on how cancer research will be supported, ensuring all cancer patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, as well as speeding up diagnosis.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers. The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers. DHSC invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of patients with (a) suspected and (b) confirmed rare cancers who have access to treatments through clinical trials of medications currently approved for other indications.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials, including trials where medicines are repurposed, as well as innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers. The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country, including patients with rare cancers. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers.

Found: Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill Rare Cancers Bill

Found: Dr Scott Arthur MP • Dr Scott Arthur MP updated attendees on his Private Members Bill, the Rare Cancers Bill