Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on ovarian cancer research in the latest period for which data is available.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being one of the largest areas of spend, at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR has funded 17 research projects into ovarian cancer for the period 2019/20 to 2023/24, with a combined total funding value of £6.4 million, and enabled 109 clinical research studies into ovarian cancer to take place in the National Health Service in 2023/24.

Examples of NIHR investments in ovarian cancer research include the ROCkeTS study, which aims to identify the best diagnostic tests for ovarian cancer. The NIHR has also funded the MR in Ovarian Cancer, or MROC, study, which studies the impact of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging on the staging and management of patients with ovarian cancer.

The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ovarian cancer research.