§ 27. Mr. FlightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has held with local health authorities regarding the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer in men in their areas; and if he will make a statement. [92614]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Government are committed to improving the prevention, detection and treatment of all cancers including prostate cancer. We have identified this as a priority for the National Health Service. There is, as yet, no consensus of medical opinion about the correct management of early localised tumours. The Health Technology Assessment Programme has already funded two systematic reviews of the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer and the National Co-ordinating Centre for the HTA programme is commissioning a £200,000 study at the University of Bristol looking at the feasibility of conducting a multi-centre randomised trial of treatment for localised prostate cancer.