House of Commons · Westminster Hall
08 June 2022 · 5 other contributors · 3,963 words
Opened by Julie Marson Con Hertford and Stortford
Responding minister: Maria Caulfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Julie Marson raised concerns about cancer care: young adults — [ian paisley in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
Marson is advocating for Jess's law, which would require a case to be elevated after the third contact with a GP surgery and red-flagged after five contacts, leading to thorough investigations and specialist referrals. She also emphasized the need for better training of GPs in recognizing early cancer symptoms in young adults.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Julie Marson highlighted the tragic case of Jessica Brady, a young adult diagnosed with cancer after numerous GP visits and misdiagnoses. She cited CLIC Sargent's findings that half of young people visited their GPs at least three times before being diagnosed with cancer. The charity also noted that nearly 10% of all new cancers are diagnosed in people aged between 25 and 49, twice as many females than males in this age group.
Congratulates the hon. Lady for bringing forward the debate and recognises her efforts in raising awareness about cancer care for young adults. Asks if it is time to introduce early intervention blood testing for those with symptoms of cancer.
Highlights the issue of doctors dismissing early signs of serious conditions in children, leading to later diagnosis. Emphasises the need for doctors to think outside the box when dealing with symptoms. Mark Tami intervened, noting that many people do not expect to see young adults with cancer, which affects diagnostic processes. He supported the need for Jess's law to improve early diagnosis and ensure patients receive proper care.
Expresses admiration for the Brady family's campaigning efforts and suggests that each general practice should have at least one doctor knowledgeable about cancer diagnosis, who can take a lead role in early detection.
Apologises for missing the start of the debate but expresses agreement with the hon. Lady's points on early diagnosis. Discusses her work as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on ovarian cancer and highlights the need to stop late-stage diagnoses.
Sir Oliver Heald supported Julie Marson's call for Jess's law, emphasizing the importance of thorough diagnosis and referrals to specialist care. He highlighted that early diagnosis saves lives and stressed the need for a robust process to ensure timely cancer detection in young adults.
Government Response
Maria CaulfieldIt is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of Mr Paisley. The Minister thanked Julie Marson for securing the debate and expressed condolences to Simon and Andrea, who were present. She acknowledged that cancer diagnosis in young adults can be challenging due to its rarity, with just under 4,000 cases diagnosed annually in England. GPs often lack experience dealing with non-specific symptoms. However, there are numerous opportunities where further investigation could reveal the problem, but Jess's case highlights issues with delayed diagnoses despite multiple visits and symptoms. The Government has allocated £2.3 billion to roll out community diagnostic centres enabling direct referrals for patients with non-specific symptoms without hospital referrals needed initially. Additionally, non-specific symptoms pathways are being introduced to facilitate early diagnosis through discussions involving diagnostic equipment and expertise. A target of 75% of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 or 2 by 2028 is set, aiming to address all cancer types including rarer ones with no known origins. The Minister also mentioned piloting a nurse specialist route for patients needing further support or diagnosis. She discussed the possibility of implementing a flag system in GP practices based on frequency and persistence of symptoms but noted technical challenges with independent IT systems among GPs. Training programmes are being rolled out by Macmillan Cancer Support, CLIC Sargent, and Cancer Research UK to educate primary care teams about cancer diagnoses in young people.