The British Liver Trust in collaboration with five other health charities of the Less Survivable Cancer Taskforce has released a manifesto which urges the new government to take greater action on less survivable cancers.
Seventy thousand individuals are diagnosed with a less survivable cancer annually in the UK, which account for a quarter of all cancer diagnoses and nearly half of all cancer-related deaths. The current five-year survival rate for individuals with less survivable cancers is a mere 14 per cent, compared with 64 per cent for other common cancers. Primary liver cancer, one of the less survivable cancers has witnessed a substantial increase in mortality over the past 10 years.
The key points from the manifesto are as follows:
- Doubling the survival rates to 28 per cent over the next 10 years.
- Earlier diagnosis of less survivable cancers.
- Tackling inequalities in research funding.
- Long-term investment in the NHS’s cancer workforce.
- Educating the public regarding the symptoms of less survivable cancers.
- Ensuring access to clinical trials for a greater number of patients.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of Policy at the British Liver Trust, said: "We need liver cancer and the other less survivable cancers to have the same level of attention and funding that has been given to other cancers which has resulted in huge improvements in survival rates and care."
