§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to address the differences in waiting times for men with suspected prostate cancer compared with patients with suspected breast cancer. [HL3634]
188WA
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathWe are determined to improve the detection and treatment of prostate cancer as part of our programme of action to improve prevention and treatment of our cancer services across the National Health Service. In April 1999, we introduced a two-week waiting time standard for patients referred urgently by their general practitioners with suspected breast cancer. This high standard of care is being put in place for all other cases of suspected cancer during 2000 with the standard for prostate cancer being introduced in December 2000. We are also introducing "On the spot" style booking systems for cancer treatment, including prostate cancer, through the Cancer Services Collaborative. This £6 million initiative is significantly improving patient care by streamlining and redesigning care from referral through diagnosis and treatment thus reducing delays at every stage and will be rolled out to the NHS from April 2001.
The NHS Plan (Cm 4818-I) now sets out our commitment that the National Cancer Plan which we shall publish in the autumn will contain referral to diagnosis to treatment waiting times targets, covering all cancers. These targets will be drawn up in discussion with clinicians and patient groups, taking account of the speed at which the workforce can expand.
A Prostate Cancer Action Plan encompassing research, diagnosis, early detection, treatment and care will also be built into the National Cancer Plan. We have also asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to commission evidence-based guidance on urological cancers, including prostate, as part of the Improving Outcomes series.
§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will support and encourage a United Kingdom-wide screening trial for prostate cancer. [HL3631]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe NHS Plan (Cm 4818-I) sets out the Government's commitment that if and when screening and treatment techniques have developed sufficiently, a prostate cancer screening programme will be introduced. The evidence to support the introduction of a screening programme will be kept under careful review by the UK National Screening Committee. The UK National Screening Committee and the Health Technology Assessment Programme have been working with researchers to pull together several existing research protocols for a prostate cancer screening trial into a bid for one coherent and integrated trial. This has now been submitted to the Medical Research Council and a decision on whether to pursue the trial is expected towards the end of 2000.
§ Lord Ezraasked Her Majesty's Government:
What research effort is being devoted to the screening and treatment of prostate cancer; and how this compares with comparable research into breast cancer. [HL3759]
189WA
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathCancer is a top government priority and research is essential to the development of modern and effective cancer services. The estimated figures for annual government expenditure on breast cancer and prostate cancer in 1999–2000 are £9.02 million and £1.52 million respectively. These figures do not include research allocations to universities from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, or Research Councils other than the Medical Research Council, These figures further underestimate the total government research and development expenditure in these areas, as detailed estimates of National Health Service support funding are not collected routinely.
The Department of Health has recently made £1 million extra available this year for prostate cancer research. The NHS Plan states that a further £1 million will be made available for each of the next three years. In addition, a Prostate Cancer Action Plan encompassing research, diagnosis, early detection, treatment and care will be built into the National Cancer Plan to be published this autumn.
Part of the additional money mentioned above will be used to fund two research projects into prostate cancer. The first of these examines the effectiveness and acceptability of treatment options for prostate cancer in screen-detected individuals. The second project is a highly innovative study to create and test new less invasive treatment for prostate cancer using magnetic resonance imaging and high intensity focussed ultrasound.
We are working with the Medical Research Council and other members of the Cancer Research Funders Forum to identify priorities for prostate cancer research. An expert review group has been set up and will be finalising its report shortly. We will be considering with our partners how we can help improve research capacity in prostate cancer and develop research on key issues in the light of the Expert Review Group report.
Details of projects directly funded by the department or supported through the NHS research and development budget can be found on the National Research Register. This is available in the Library and most medical libraries on CDROM, and on the Internet: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nrr.htm.