Pancreatic Cancer: Medical Treatments
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a specialist 21-day pancreatic cancer treatment pathway.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a specialised 21-day pancreatic cancer treatment pathway. NHS England is delivering a range of interventions that are expected to improve early diagnosis and treatment for patients with suspected and diagnosed pancreatic cancer. This includes providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for patients at inherited high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer, and diagnose cancers sooner.
In March 2024, NHS England published guidance for providers and systems to implement a timed Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary cancer pathway with the aim of ensuring that patients with some suspected tumour types, including suspected pancreatic cancer, receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of urgent referral.
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