Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of developing a National Brain Tumour Strategy.

My Rt. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain tumour patients. Research is also a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on this.

We realise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and we recognise the significant impact this rare cancer can have on patients, carers and their families. The government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

Furthermore, the Department, NHS England and NIHR are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.