Neuroendocrine Cancer

Sharon Hodgson Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Mrs Sharon Hodgson)]

I start by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) for securing this important debate. I am not sure if he is aware, but we could actually go on until about 5.30 pm, so we have hours at our disposal if we want to continue this conversation for that long. We do not want to test your patience too much, Madam Deputy Speaker, but we do not have to be too speedy. We can cover this properly and in depth.

I also must congratulate my hon. Friend on his huge achievement with the Rare Cancers Act 2026, which received Royal Assent, as he knows, on 5 March this year, with support from right across this House and in the other place. This Government are proud to have supported the Rare Cancers Act. During its parliamentary passage, it was described as “a Bill of hope”, and it does give hope to all those who face a diagnosis with a rare cancer, such as those with neuroendocrine cancer.

As set out in our national cancer plan, we will implement the Rare Cancers Act to make it easier for rare cancer patients to be contacted about clinical trials. This Act will help accelerate the clinical trials needed to deliver the most effective, cutting-edge treatments and the highest-quality care for patients facing a rare cancer diagnosis.

Since this Government took office, around 228,000 more people are getting a cancer diagnosis on time, around 40,000 more are starting treatment on time, and rates of early diagnosis are hitting record highs. Despite those vital signs of recovery, the NHS is still failing far too many cancer patients and their families. We know that improving outcomes for rare cancer patients is key to ensuring that we make the NHS fit for the future.

In February, this Government published our much-lauded national cancer plan. We now have a blueprint to shift the dial on rare and challenging cancers, including neuroendocrine cancers, underpinned by three key targets. The first is to save 320,000 more lives by 2035, ensuring that three in four people diagnosed in 2035 will be cancer free or living well with cancer after five years. Secondly, we will achieve the three cancer performance targets by the end of March 2029. Finally, we will improve the quality of life for people with cancer.

As we have heard, neuroendocrine cancer is a rare type of cancer that can develop in various organs in the body, including the pancreas, lungs and intestines. The National Disease Registration Service collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases, and provides expert analysis to support clinical teams, academics, charities and policymakers to help plan and improve treatment and healthcare in England. The NDRS understands the need for statistics on neuroendocrine neoplasms and has worked with an expert working group to identify these cases in the cancer registry data. The working group has included clinical experts and charity engagement, and the first statistics on these groupings are expected to be published as part of Get Data Out in a few months.

Furthermore, in the national cancer plan, we have committed to improving data on rare cancers to ensure transparency and to support the NHS to speed up diagnosis and treatment. To help cut cancer waiting times, we will give trusts and cancer alliances the detailed, practical information they need, from more granular data for individual cancer types to real-time pathway insights through the federated data platform. By streamlining cancer metrics, we will shine a much brighter light on unwarranted variation in care, so that issues cannot be hidden and action can be taken quickly.

Rare and less common cancers, including neuroendocrine cancers, are a priority for this Government, and this is the first ever national cancer plan with a dedicated chapter on rare cancers. We know that one of the most effective ways to improve survival from cancers, including neuroendocrine cancers, is to catch them early and treat them quickly. We know that raising awareness of symptoms is an essential part of that, which is why the NHS in England runs campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them. My hon. Friend mentioned the number of women who are told that it is menopause symptoms when they first present to their GPs. As a woman who has been in that position myself, I think he made a good point about how many different conditions are blamed on the menopause.

The campaigns have focused on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as on encouraging general body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point. Cancer alliances across the country are also engaging with their local communities to deliver campaigns, community engagement and partnership activity to increase symptom knowledge and encourage people to come forward as soon as possible if they notice a change in their health.

I want to be clear that I have never had a cancer diagnosis blamed on the menopause, but there are lots of other things I might have gone to my GP about that have been blamed on the menopause. I know that my hon. Friend has done work on ovarian cancer as well—he took over the hosting of an event on ovarian cancer from me when I was made a Minister—and the symptoms of ovarian cancer are constantly blamed on irritable bowel syndrome, constipation or a bad back. It happens with so many cancers, so he made a really important point.

In addition to improving awareness of neuroendocrine cancers, we are targeting improvements to support diagnosis. The NHS in England has rolled out non-specific symptom pathways nationally, designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer. Those pathways are intended to cover the cohort of patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway but who are none the less at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. They benefit the detection of all cancers, including rarer cancers such as neuroendocrine cancers.

As announced in the national cancer plan earlier this year, we are prioritising access to specialist treatment and multidisciplinary teams for all patients diagnosed with rare cancers, which will ensure that patients with neuroendocrine cancer and other rare cancers benefit from the best evidence-based care. Furthermore, we have invested £70 million in 28 new LINAC—linear accelerator—radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient machines. Those new machines will reduce waiting times, provide 15% more treatments and enable 27,500 more patients to be treated each year. Going forward, the NHS is also harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to support oncologists to plan radiotherapy more quickly and accurately, improving contouring, reducing the risk of damage to healthy tissue and minimising complications.

We know that research and innovation are crucial to tackling cancer, which is why we remain committed to investing in cancer research. Cancer is a major area of National Institute for Health and Care Research spending, totalling £141.6 million in 2024-25, which reflects its high priority. The NIHR supports research into neuroendocrine cancers, spanning research to better understand and diagnose them through to research to advance treatment options for patients. Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the NIHR has committed £3.5 million to new research projects, alongside supporting infrastructure, into neuroendocrine cancer.

Activity is under way through the NIHR James Lind Alliance, in partnership with the UK and Ireland Neuroendocrine Tumour Society and Neuroendocrine Cancer UK, to identify priority research questions regarding neuroendocrine cancer care and treatment. That will ensure that future research focuses on the areas that matter most to patients, families and clinicians. Our research investments have the potential to shift the dial and position the UK as a leading location for cancer research.

As set out in our 10-year health plan, we will make the UK a global leader in clinical research. Clinical research is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve healthcare. It helps us prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively. Our vision is to embed research across the NHS, giving patients greater choice and control over their healthcare. To hold us accountable across these commitments and drive forward progress for rare cancer patients, we will appoint a national clinical lead for rare cancers, who will provide independent advice on improving outcomes.

The actions I have listed make up just a small part of our plan, which will turn cancer from one of the biggest killers into a chronic condition that is treatable. That will fulfil our desire to improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including neuroendocrine cancer patients.

In closing, I once again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West for securing this important debate. It looks like we are going to finish early after all, but I do not want anybody to think that that is through lack of interest in this important topic. It is Thursday, and Members have their constituencies to get back to, so I will not delay the House any further. I thank my hon. Friend for all the work he does on rare cancers.

Question put and agreed to.