Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase funding available for pancreatic cancer research.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR's research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23, and the NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group.

The NIHR has committed £4.3 million in research on pancreatic cancer since 2018/19. This includes research exploring whether a standard surveillance programme after pancreatic cancer surgery would improve survival rates, and what impact surveillance would have on quality of life and healthcare providers.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR welcomes further high-quality proposals to inform approaches to preventing and treating pancreatic cancer.