Pancreatic Cancer

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Phillip Lee

Monday 8th September 2014 Westminster Hall

[Nic Dakin]

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right that the nub of the issue is how to get early diagnosis—the difficult-to-achieve holy grail.

In evidence to the all-party group a week after celebrating six years of survival, pancreatic cancer survivor Ali Stunt said:

“We need to focus on early diagnosis… Those of us who are diagnosed in time for surgery, which is what we want to achieve, have a tenfold increase in the chance of surviving five years… I was lucky. I was told that surgery was an option and that my operation would be booked in for a week’s time. I was told I needed chemotherapy and a week later was in my consultant oncologist’s office. I told him that I wanted to live to see my boys graduate. Following combination chemotherapy for 6 months and then chemo-radiotherapy, my scans were clear. Regular check-ups followed with scans and blood tests—all of which revealed ‘no evidence of disease’. My oncologist finally ‘signed me off’ in April 2013.

This is a story not often heard when pancreatic cancer is involved. These past 4 years since I founded Pancreatic Cancer Action I have met and got to know some fabulous people who have bravely fought and helped me raise awareness of this cruel disease. Not many of them are still alive, but all will have a special place in my heart. It is and always will be my mission to get more people diagnosed sooner—so more can have the same outcome as me.”

I first became aware of pancreatic cancer many years ago when my friend and colleague Martin Newbould became ill with it. Martin was an inspirational individual, a wonderful family man and an outstanding head of maths. More recently, my witty local newsagent Mick Emerson retired only to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer soon after and then pass away. My friend Sir John Mason passed away just before the summer after a dignified battle against the disease, leaving a massive legacy of good work in the community. Having been ill for some time with an undiagnosed condition, John’s pancreatic cancer was, I understand, finally diagnosed after an emergency admission at Scunthorpe hospital’s A and E.

Currently, a staggering 48% of pancreatic cancer diagnoses are made by emergency admission, which is more than twice the total for other forms of cancer. That is important, as presentation via emergency admission is normally when the disease is more advanced and associated with much poorer survival rates than other routes to diagnosis. For example, one-year survival for patients presenting via emergency admission is just 9%, as opposed to 26% for those diagnosed as a result of GP referral. Over 40% of pancreatic cancer patients visit their GPs three times or more before even being referred to hospital. Some 16% have to visit their GP or hospital seven times or more before the correct diagnosis is made. By comparison, figures show that 75% of all cancer patients combined are referred to hospital after only one or two visits to their GPs.

Such data are only recently known as a result of the National Cancer Intelligence Network’s impressive work. It shows the power of data in helping us to tackle this disease. Further improvements in the collection and application of real-time data have the potential to transform medical practice in this area. Evidence given to the all-party group last week suggests that establishing a tool to collect patient data online would not be difficult to achieve. Such a robust IT system would radically improve data collection. Patients support their data being used for analysis and expect their data to be used to improve care for everyone else. London Cancer’s Dr Millar recommended that patient data be made freely available for use, within the law, for research in return for the free health care received under the NHS. Linking more GP data with that already received through secondary care and the research lab will help to improve early diagnosis in terms of the amount of data that can be analysed.

One issue highlighted throughout the all-party group’s inquiry was the disconnect between primary and secondary specialist care in achieving timely, effective treatment. Pancreatic cancer patients are not transferred quickly enough from primary to secondary care when time is of the essence if better outcomes are to be achieved. Most European countries do not have the same GP gateway as the UK; patients can see a specialist more quickly and clinical outcomes are better. One consultant surgeon and surgical oncologist told us:

“The patient turns up and the chap says, ‘Well it’s not reflux and I’m a reflux doctor. Back to your GP.’ So he goes back to the GP—more delay is coming. The GP says, ‘Well it isn’t reflux. Maybe now he has some back pain or something. We’ll try the spine doctor.’ So he goes to the spine surgeon. The spine surgeon says, ‘Well, it’s not spine pain. Back to your GP.’ This is the common scenario. The patient becomes a tennis ball.”

To get around this investigative ping-pong, it is worth seriously considering whether to allow GPs direct, easier access to CT scans, which would be much more likely to rule cancer in or out at an earlier stage than other investigative measures. One experienced GP told us:

“I think it’s about getting the right test, for the right patient, at the right time. Presently a hospital doctor who has had—no disrespect to my colleagues—two years’ medical experience can request a CT scan for a patient in hospital where I can’t.”

There is recognition that allowing GPs to refer patients directly for CT scans could accelerate diagnosis, but there is understandable concern about how it might work in practice.

[Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con)]

Mr and Mrs Stella, constituents of mine who tragically lost their son Robert aged just 26, are sitting in the Public Gallery. I am a working doctor and fully understand how difficult it is to diagnose pancreatic cancer early because of the non-specificity of the symptoms. However, the solution might be in research. GPs require a test and to be able press a button and diagnose something from within the primary care setting. As the hon. Gentleman rightly points out, obtaining tests from primary care is difficult. Does he agree that once we have found such tests, which will come with time, primary care is where funding should be placed, so that earlier diagnosis is more achievable? Pancreatic cancer can be beaten, but to beat it we must diagnose it early.

[Nic Dakin]

I absolutely agree that the need is to find the tests and to have the wherewithal to allow them to take place.

I want to ask the Minister a few specific questions that she may pick up on in her response. Will the Government put in place pilots across the UK to experiment with direct GP referrals for CT scans to see how that might work and what impact it has on what actually happens—the positives and the negatives—so that we can learn from the experience? What actions can she take to boost awareness of pancreatic cancer signs and symptoms among GPs, to which the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) referred earlier? Will the Department of Health consider pump-priming research into more recalcitrant cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, with ring-fenced grants where sustainable research has yet to be reached? As pancreatic cancer survival rates remain stubbornly low, will the Minister consider running specific awareness campaigns for the public through appropriate media?

The petition and this debate will have helped to raise pancreatic cancer up everyone’s agenda. I pay tribute to how Julie Hesmondhalgh—Hayley Cropper in “Coronation Street”—has helped to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. I understand that she has been nominated for the best soap actress award at the TV Choice awards tonight. We wish her luck with that, because it will move pancreatic cancer yet further up the agenda. It is good to have her here today as part of the campaign. Julie points out:

“What the Coronation Street storyline did for pancreatic cancer awareness is phenomenal, but much more attention and funding is required. I worked with Maggie, along with many motivated people affected by pancreatic cancer and the charities Pancreatic Cancer Action and Pancreatic Cancer UK, to push the petition to the 100,000 signature milestone. This cancer desperately needs to be in the spotlight.”

She is absolutely right. The spotlight shines on it today. We need to seize this opportunity, this moment, this petition, this debate to up our game. Another 40 years cannot pass by without change. We need to set our stall out to make the same progress that we have made in prostate, breast and bowel cancer in the past 40 years for pancreatic cancer in the next 40 years. Nothing less is satisfactory. It is, as our parliamentary inquiry says, time to change the story.