§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to reduce deaths from prostate cancer. [97669]
§ Ms StuartThe White Paper "Saving Lives—Our Healthier Nation"—published in July—proposed a target to reduce the death rate from cancer in those under 75 by 20 per cent. by 2010. The Government encourage early detection of prostate cancer and have already announced that, by December 2000, all urgent general practitioner referrals of suspected cases should be seen by a consultant within two weeks of referral. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence will commission outcomes guidance on prostate cancer within the next two years.