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Rare Cancers: Diagnosis

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 10 September 2025UIN 71905

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnosis rates for rare cancers, broken down by each county.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including rare and less common cancers, earlier and to treat them faster.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Further information on the National Disease Registration Service is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

The Department has not made a formal assessment of this data broken down by county, however the forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the NHS will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for rare and less common cancers.

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