MP backs campaign by cancer taskforce

A COUNTY MP has backed calls to end a vicious cycle which has seen survivability stagnate among the six deadliest cancers over the past decade.

Dr Luke Evans, MP for Hinckley and Bosworth, met members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) in the House of Commons on World Cancer Day.

The LSCT represents researchers into lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach, cancers, where the average five-year survival rate is 14 per cent.

The taskforce aims to double this by 2029.

Dr Evans said: “These are some of the hardest cancers to pick up when they present at a GP surgery and often take multiple trips to the GP before they are detected.

“This is valuable time lost. More progress needs to be made in tests to accurately aid diagnosis, but also for targeted treatment as many of these cancers are so hard to treat.

“I was so glad to see so many groups coming together to raise the profile of these hard-to-treat cancers and I look forward to supporting improvements in diagnosis and care going forward.”

Anna Jewell, chairman of the LSCT, said: “We are delighted Dr Evans shares our concerns about the stark inequalities in cancer outcomes.

“There are some cancers which have seen remarkable progress in survivability but others that are just as deadly as they were decades ago.

“Together, these cancers make up half of all common cancer deaths in the UK. We are calling on the governments to commit to doubling survival rates by 2029.”