All 1 Debates between Dan Poulter and Ian Swales

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Debate between Dan Poulter and Ian Swales
Tuesday 10th June 2014

(10 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Ian Swales Portrait Ian Swales (Redcar) (LD)
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T9. My constituent, Beth Charlton, recently lost her father to pancreatic cancer and notes that patients have only a 3% chance of surviving five years. That is much lower than the survival rates for other cancers and has not improved in 40 years. Will the Minister invest more in early detection and diagnosis of this silent killer?

Dan Poulter Portrait Dr Poulter
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Spending on health care research, including cancer research, has considerably increased under this Government, and much of that funding is allocated independently. It is important to note that pancreatic cancer is, as the hon. Gentleman says, a silent killer, because presentation is often very late in the disease process. Patients can present suddenly with painless jaundice and are often only three months away from death. It is therefore important that we look at the causes of pancreatic cancer and focus on primary prevention and on helping people to develop a healthy attitude to alcohol.