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Less Survivable Cancers
06 January 2026
Lead MP
Clive Jones
Wokingham
LD
Responding Minister
Ashley Dalton
Tags
NHS
Word Count: 13030
Other Contributors: 18
At a Glance
Clive Jones raised concerns about less survivable cancers in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The national cancer plan must address key measures to improve outcomes for patients with less survivable cancers. This includes supporting the roll-out of innovative detection tests and evaluating their use, as well as producing a strategy for earlier and faster diagnosis.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Every year in the UK, 90,000 people are diagnosed with a less survivable cancer—cancers of the brain, liver, lungs, pancreas, oesophagus and stomach. Together, they represent 40% of all cancer deaths and account for 67,000 deaths every year. The collective five-year survival rate for those cancers is just 16%. For many of these less survivable cancers, survival rates in the UK lag behind other countries, with the UK ranked 29th out of 33 countries for pancreatic cancer survival.
Brian Leishman
Lab
Alloa and Grangemouth
In Scotland, the survival rate for less survivable cancers is 61% within a year of diagnosis. Brian discusses health inequalities, including higher cancer incidence in deprived areas, later diagnosis at emergency stages, and socioeconomic barriers affecting symptom awareness and treatment access.
Witney
Advocates reforming the Human Tissue Act 2004 to introduce a deemed consent regime for residual tumour tissue for public interest cancer research. Calls for doubling survival rates of less survivable cancers in the next decade.
Welcomed the Government's £13.7 million funding for brain tumour research and emphasised the importance of early detection tools and collaborative centres of excellence.
Clive Jones
in the Chair
Asked Members to keep interventions short so that all speakers could be accommodated.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Dr Johnson highlighted that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, noting improvements in survival rates but stressing the need for action on less survivable cancers. She mentioned over 90,000 annual diagnoses of these cancers which account for 42% of deaths. Dr Johnson also raised concerns about delays in diagnosis and pushed for more rapid implementation of new detection technologies.
Scott Arthur
Lab
Edinburgh South West
The six less survivable cancers take 67,000 lives annually. Dr Arthur calls for doubling early diagnosis across these cancers to save an additional 7,500 lives each year and highlights his Rare Cancers Bill aimed at improving data collection, clinical trial access, and treatment pathways.
Epsom and Ewell
Discussed local cancer statistics and highlighted the importance of early diagnosis, citing cases where delays in screening led to advanced stages of liver and pancreatic cancer. Emphasised the UK's poor survival rates compared to other countries for less survivable cancers like lung, oesophageal, bladder, stomach, liver, pancreatic, and brain cancers.
Jim Dickson
Lab
Dartford
He agreed that the national cancer plan must include key measures to address less survivable cancers, including supporting innovative detection tests and evaluating their use.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
He asked if early diagnosis was particularly true of males who often delay going to the GP, which needs urgent attention. Highlights that less survivable cancers such as lung, pancreatic, liver, brain, oesophageal, and stomach have survival rates below 16%, compared to an average of 50% for all cancers. Emphasises the need for better funding and research.
John Lamont
Con
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
He highlighted the difficulty in accessing clinical trials in Scotland and emphasised the need for a genuinely national strategy rather than different directions taken by parts of the UK.
Esher and Walton
Monica shares her personal story of a brother-in-law diagnosed with glioblastoma. She highlights the inequity in accessing pioneering treatments like oncothermia, which remains inaccessible through NHS funding.
Patrick Hurley
Lab
Southport
Shares personal experience with oesophageal cancer, which led to the deaths of his father and wife within months after diagnosis. Asks for a commitment to drive up survival rates, especially for oesophageal cancer in the north-west.
Paul Davies
Lab
Colne Valley
Forty-seven per cent of cancers diagnosed in the UK are rare and less common cancers, with 55% of deaths from these types. Paul Davies highlights issues related to blood cancer and systemic barriers preventing patients from accessing innovative therapies due to NICE appraisal processes.
Birmingham Erdington
Hamilton urges the government to prioritize early diagnosis of six less survivable cancers through targeted screening and the nationwide multi-cancer case-finding programme. She shares a personal story about her best friend's experience with pancreatic cancer.
Peter Prinsley
Lab
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
Cancer survival rates have improved due to scientific progress. However, the number of clinical academics in the country has collapsed, leading to a critical shortage of academic leadership needed for research into less survivable cancers.
Rachel Taylor
Lab
North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Raises concerns about pancreatic cancer, citing a constituent's experience where misdiagnosis led to a rapid decline in health. Emphasises the need for better diagnostic processes and treatment access.
Robbie Moore
Con
Keighley and Ilkley
Robbie Moore discusses the loss of two councillors in his constituency to cancer, emphasizing the need for early identification and screening. He highlights that only 28% of less survivable cancers are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2 compared with 54% of all cancers.
North Norfolk
Aquarone discusses the challenges faced by rural communities in accessing care for less survivable cancers, including difficulties in securing GP appointments and navigating transport systems. He welcomes new diagnostic tools but expresses concerns about their delayed availability in rural areas.
Government Response
Ashley Dalton
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Government Response
The Minister acknowledged the wide range of issues raised by MPs, including progress on less survivable cancers, rollout of non-specific symptom pathways, support for the Rare Cancers Bill, plans to tackle rare and less survivable cancers in the new cancer plan due early February, genomics investment, Jess’s rule for GPs, NHS pilot of Cytosponge test in pharmacies, palliative care service framework development, and improvements in diagnosis times with community diagnostic centres.
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.