Outcomes for Cancer Patients

Thank you for contacting me about outcomes for cancer patients.
 
I recognise the great contribution made by charities such as Cancer Research UK in driving forward progress in this field. I am a great supporter of Cancer Research locally and recently attended the opening of the ‘Donation Station’ in Swan Walk organised by the Cancer Research shop on East Street.  I hope I can assure you that the Government is committed to improving cancer outcomes throughout the UK, and Ministers recognise that investing in research is vital in order to increase survival rates.
 
Cancer survival rates are at a record high and we are on track to save an estimated 12,000 more lives a year for people diagnosed between 2011 and 2015. As of March 2017, figures show that at least 7,000 more people per year are surviving cancer than three years previously.
 
In light of this, it is encouraging that the National Institute for Health Research spending on cancer research has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £135 million in 2014/15. The Government along with Cancer Research UK are jointly funding a network of 18 experimental cancer medicine centres aimed at driving the development and testing of new anti-cancer treatments. New funding is regularly approved for different types of cancer research, and I particularly welcome the Government's recent investment into prostate cancer and brain cancer research.
 
The Government is working with the NHS, charities and patient groups to deliver the Cancer Strategy for England, developed by the independent Cancer Taskforce. It has committed to ensuring that by 2020, everyone referred with a suspicion of cancer will receive either a definitive diagnosis or the all-clear within four weeks. NHS England has confirmed funding of £200 million over the next two years to encourage local areas to find new and innovative ways to diagnose cancer earlier. Health Education England has also committed to training an additional 400 staff to carry out endoscopy tests by 2018.
 
Throughout its lifetime, the Government spent over £1.2 billion on the Cancer Drugs Fund. This fund has helped around 90,000 people to access the life-extending drugs they need. The Government has also announced a £130 million fund to modernise radiotherapy equipment across England, and each year it spends £2.5 billion on pathology services.