Cancer: Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to address regional disparities in cancer treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer treatment is a priority for the Government, as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as both are key contributors to reducing cancer health inequalities.
To improve diagnosis and outcomes, NHS England is delivering a range of interventions including implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who have symptoms, such as unexplained weight-loss and fatigue, that do not align to a single tumour type, as is often the case with pancreatic cancer. 115 pathways are now in place across the country, providing almost full population coverage.
We are also rolling out the Targeted Lung Health Checks Programme, which aims to improve early detection of lunch cancer. People living in deprived areas are four times more likely to smoke, and smoking causes 72% of lung cancers. Therefore, introducing this programme will disproportionately benefit those in deprived areas.
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