Asked by: Douglas McAllister (Labour - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Department has made of waiting times for diagnostic imaging for suspected liver cancer; and what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times in diagnosis.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of reducing cancer diagnostic waiting times which is why we have committed to meeting all of the cancer waiting time standards, including the 28-day faster diagnosis standard (FDS), by 2029. This will improve outcomes for all cancers, including liver cancer.
We do not hold waiting time data specifically on diagnostic imaging for suspected liver cancer. While we collect data on the FDS performance for suspected upper gastrointestinal cancer, this does not differentiate between imaging and non-imaging pathways. FDS performance for suspected upper gastrointestinal cancer has increased 2.9% from 73.2% in January 2025 to 76.1% in January 2026, exceeding the 75% performance target.
We will improve waiting time performance by modernising the entire cancer pathway, expanding diagnostic capacity and streamlining diagnostic services. This modernisation will be supported by a £6 billion investment in diagnostic and urgent care capacity which will transform diagnostic care and provide the National Health Service with the tools they require to diagnose cancer, including liver cancer, faster and earlier.
Asked by: Douglas McAllister (Labour - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of variation in liver cancer survival outcomes between integrated care systems; and what steps it is taking to reduce that variation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the National Cancer Plan, the Department is committed to increasing survival rates across all cancer types, including liver cancer. We are working to end the postcode lottery for cancer care, by increasing access to cancer services, expanding screening, and modernising the entirety of the cancer pathway. We will continue to implement the community liver health checks programme which proactively offers fibroscans to people with cirrhosis and fatty liver disease, which will identify 4,000 patients each year at high-risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma.
The recently published National Cancer Plan sets out how we will deliver a crackdown on geographical inequalities in cancer care to drive up standards across England. New cancer manuals will set out what good care looks like, with regional partnerships of health leaders and clinicians utilising data to drive improvements where services are falling short.
National Health Service regions and Cancer Alliances will jointly identify underperforming trusts and provide intensive support, including leadership intervention, peer-to-peer mentoring, seconding senior managers from stronger trusts, and access to £200 million of ringfenced cancer funding in 2026/27 to improve cancer pathway performance and reduce delays. We publish survival data by integrated care board, with further information available at the following link:
Asked by: Douglas McAllister (Labour - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish the geographical distribution of sites involved in the TRANSFORM trial; and what criteria were used to select them.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
In November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, in order to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is managing the award on behalf of the funders, with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.
Once received, the protocol will be published on the NIHR’s website on the funding and awards page. This is expected to contain details of the site selection criteria. TRANSFORM will aim to recruit men from across the United Kingdom, including Scotland.
Asked by: Douglas McAllister (Labour - West Dunbartonshire)
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 help lengthen life expectancy for people with acute myeloid leukaemia; and if he will increase levels of funding for leukaemia (a) research and (b) treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department funds research into leukaemia through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24.
In leukaemia research, for example, the NIHR is funding the £2.6 million PROPEL trial, testing whether a package of enhanced personalised prehabilitation can help people with acute myeloid leukaemia secure better outcomes after treatment.
NHS England has implemented non symptom specific pathways for patients who present with non-specific symptoms or combinations thereof that can indicate several different cancers. This includes leukaemia, which can present non-specific symptoms, such as unexpected weight loss and night sweats. The national evaluation showed that blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia patients.