The British Liver Trust met with Neil Gray MSP, the Scottish Minister for Health and Social Care, at Holyrood last week to discuss the urgent need to prioritise less survivable cancers as part of Scotland’s wider cancer strategy.
At the meeting, we stressed the importance of the continuation of the new liver cancer pathway and the need for this to be rolled out nationally. The meeting took place with other members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and was arranged one year on from the launch of the Cancer Strategy for Scotland.
The LSCT represents six less survivable cancers: lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach, with an average five-year survival rate of just 16%. These less survivable cancers make up nearly half of all common cancer deaths in the UK and over 90,000 people are diagnosed with one of the less survivable cancers in the UK every year including over 9,000 in Scotland. Despite their prevalence, the less survivable cancers receive a fraction (16.6%) of research funding of more survivable cancers.
The LSCT released data earlier this year showing that Scotland, and the whole of the UK, lags far behind other countries of comparable wealth and income levels for cancer survival. Out of 34 countries this was as low as 32nd for five year survival for pancreatic cancer, 31st for stomach cancer and 29th for lung cancer.
Lorraine Dallas, Chair of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce Scotland group, said:
“This meeting marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing dialogue surrounding cancer care in Scotland.
“We know that many people with less survivable cancers will only be diagnosed after an emergency admission to hospital or an urgent GP referral after symptoms have become severe and treatment options are more limited.
“This has to change. The commitment to focus on less survivable cancers in the Cancer Strategy published last year was welcome and we’re now keen to see improved cancer diagnostic and treatment services as well as significant investment in research and vastly improved outcomes for patients with less survivable cancers.”
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray said:
“I met with the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce earlier today where we had a valuable discussion and outlined shared goals in improving outcomes for individuals diagnosed with a less survivable cancer.
“During the meeting we also talked about what more we can do to help prevent cancer and how to expand the excellent results of our rapid cancer diagnostic centres. Our ten-year cancer strategy encompasses these points by taking a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care. An ambition of the strategy is to improve cancer survival, particularly among the currently less-survivable cancers, by 2033.
“The Scottish Government values the work of the individual organisations who make up the Taskforce, and thanks their dedicated supporters for their bravery and tireless efforts to support people who are all impacted by a cancer diagnosis.
“I am committed to continuing to work in partnership with the Taskforce to deliver on the Cancer Strategy and Action Plan.”