Written Question:
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the National Cancer Plan includes a strategy for (a) research and (b) improved treatment for brain tumours in children.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 28 March 2025

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain tumour patients.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experience for children and young people with cancer. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement across detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. It will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the plan.

Research is a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research on this. The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers and their families. The government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

Furthermore, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.

Written Question
Asked by Charlie Maynard

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on how much of the £40 million funding for brain tumour research has been spent.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 25 March 2025

Between 2018/19 and 2022/23 DHSC directly invested £11.3 million in brain tumour research projects through the NIHR, plus an estimated £31.5 million in infrastructure enabling 8,500 patients to participate in wider brain cancer research.
We are committed to increasing support and last September announced new research funding opportunities, bringing the brain cancer research community together to drive a step change for patients.

Written Question
Asked by: Charlie Maynard

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on how much of the £40 million funding for brain tumour research has been spent.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 25 March 2025

Between 2018/19 and 2022/23 DHSC directly invested £11.3 million in brain tumour research projects through the NIHR, plus an estimated £31.5 million in infrastructure enabling 8,500 patients to participate in wider brain cancer research.
We are committed to increasing support and last September announced new research funding opportunities, bringing the brain cancer research community together to drive a step change for patients.

Written Question
Asked by: Josh Babarinde

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve early diagnosis and (b) access to effective treatments for people with brain tumours.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 25 March 2025

We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer, including cancerous brain tumours, earlier, and treating it faster, so more patients survive, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. To do this, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. We have also delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, during our first year in Government as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

We realise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours. The Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in brain cancer research projects plus an estimated £31.5 million to enable brain tumour research to take place in NIHR research infrastructure, namely facilities, services and the research workforce, enabling delivery of 227 studies involving 8,500 people.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

Written Question
Asked by: Jonathan Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour methylome classification in the National Genomic Test Directory.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 24 March 2025

The Department funded the Cancer 2.0 initiative in 2021, delivered by Genomics England in close partnership with NHS England. The three-year programme demonstrated that nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour classification demonstrates significant promise for the National Genomic Test Directory. Full validation is required before full clinical implementation can be considered.

Other genomic testing for brain cancer is already included in the National Genomic Test Directory. This testing can be delivered using a range of technologies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS) or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology, namely large cancer gene panels, to ensure that a patient receives the most appropriate genomic testing depending on their individual circumstances.

To date no application has been made to NHS England to evaluate nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour methylome classification. If an application were received, NHS England would assess the evidence in line with the Test Directory policy.

Written Question:
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of commissioning of the use of Visualase for Inoperable brain tumours on the NHS.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 13 March 2025

The decision to commission new services sits with integrated care boards (ICBs), overseen by NHS England. For proposed new treatments which require additional investment, NHS England carries out a relative prioritisation process to determine which services will be routinely commissioned.

NHS England and the National Institution for Clinical Excellence have conducted literature reviews on the effectiveness of MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT), which includes Visualase, to treat different conditions relating to inoperable brain tumours. Studies have shown very low certainty of treatment success, and it was not possible to draw reliable conclusions about the clinical effectiveness, safety or cost effectiveness of MRgLITT compared with continued medical therapy.

However, the Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours. The Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.

Furthermore, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including improvement treatment options for cancer patients.

Written Question
Asked by: Mr Angus MacDonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of developing a National Brain Tumour Strategy.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 14 March 2025

My Rt. Hon friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain tumour patients. Research is also a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on this.

We realise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and we recognise the significant impact this rare cancer can have on patients, carers and their families. The government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

Furthermore, the Department, NHS England and NIHR are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote awareness of brain tumour awareness month.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 5 March 2025

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851(opens in a new tab).

Written Question
Asked by Charlie Maynard

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish monthly statistics on (a) the number of brain tumour patients who have received whole genome sequencing of their tumour and (b) the number of people diagnosed with brain tumours in the UK, by (i) NHS trust, (ii) histological tumour type and (ii) whether it is an adult or paediatric patient.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 5 March 2025

The Department does not hold publishable data to identify where whole genome sequencing has taken place and cannot identify tumours by histological type. NHS England holds data that provides a count of hospital activity only, not by the number of patients. This means that a patient may have had more than one admission within this requested timeframe and may therefore be counted multiple times. This data is held for England only and may not reflect when a patient was initially diagnosed.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide GPs with training to diagnose brain tumours.

Answered by: Stephen Kinnock
Answered on: 3 March 2025

The standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice

The curriculum for general practitioner (GP) specialty training is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and has to meet the standards set by the GMC and be formally approved by them. Whilst the curriculum may not necessarily highlight a specific condition, it instead emphasises the skills and approaches a GP must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. This is assessed by the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners Examination.

The RCGP provides several resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

Written Question
Asked by: Daisy Cooper

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 27888 on Brain: Tumours, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Research provides feedback to each application for brain tumour research which does not secure funding.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 28 February 2025

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR funding opportunities relevant to brain tumours are advertised, highlighting scope and remit, with guidance documents to assist applicants in shaping their applications. All unsuccessful applications receive extensive committee feedback and, where a study may be fundable with changes, applicants may be invited to resubmit at either the outline or full stage. In areas of strategic importance, including commissioned calls relevant to brain tumours, the NIHR will support with direct engagement with the study team to ensure the feedback is well understood and adequate support is in place, including that provided by the NIHR Research Support Service.

Brain tumours remain one of the hardest to treat cancers in both adults and children. More research is urgently needed to inform efforts. This is why in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. The Department is committed to increasing our support for high quality brain tumour research, ensuring that funding is used in the most meaningful and impactful way. Further information on the new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research is available at the following link:

www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched

Written Question
Asked by: Dr Al Pinkerton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the (a) 10-Year Health Plan and (b) Cancer Plan will ensure that the specific needs of people living with low grade brain tumours are properly recognised and supported.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 28 February 2025

The Department recognises that brain cancer patients are often waiting too long for diagnosis. We are determined to change that, which is why we are developing a National Cancer Plan which will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain cancer. Although low-grade brain tumours are non-cancerous, they can have similar, serious symptoms and require surgery or radiotherapy to treat them. The Department welcomes submissions on brain tumours to the new online platform, Shaping the national cancer plan. Further information is available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours, including low grade brain tumours.  In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, which includes facilities, services, and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including low grade brain tumours. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Written Question
Asked by: Dr Al Pinkerton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department is making into new treatment research and innovation for low-grade brain treatments.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 28 February 2025

The Department recognises that brain cancer patients are often waiting too long for diagnosis. We are determined to change that, which is why we are developing a National Cancer Plan which will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain cancer. Although low-grade brain tumours are non-cancerous, they can have similar, serious symptoms and require surgery or radiotherapy to treat them. The Department welcomes submissions on brain tumours to the new online platform, Shaping the national cancer plan. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours, including low grade brain tumours.  In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, which includes facilities, services, and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including low grade brain tumours. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Written Question
Asked by: Dr Al Pinkerton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has provided funding for the development of (a) more precise and (b) faster diagnostic methods for low-grade brain tumours.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 28 February 2025

The Department recognises that brain cancer patients are often waiting too long for diagnosis. We are determined to change that, which is why we are developing a National Cancer Plan which will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including brain cancer. Although low-grade brain tumours are non-cancerous, they can have similar, serious symptoms and require surgery or radiotherapy to treat them. The Department welcomes submissions on brain tumours to the new online platform, Shaping the national cancer plan. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours, including low grade brain tumours.  In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, which includes facilities, services, and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including low grade brain tumours. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Written Question
Asked by: Charlie Maynard

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include policies on (a) identifying and (b) treating brain tumours.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on 28 February 2025

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The Prime Minister’s Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future, and an essential part of this is achieving our goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, and will apply to all cancer types, including brain tumours. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.

We are committed to working closely with partners and patient groups to shape the long-term vision for cancer. The Department is planning to engage with cancer partners, charities, and those within the cancer community, seeking the views of individuals, professionals, and organisations to understand how we can do more to achieve this ambition.

To do this, on 4 February 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence, in which the views of people from across the country will inform our plan to improve cancer care. Those who wish to share their views can do so on the new online platform, Shaping the national cancer plan, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan(opens in a new tab)

Alongside this work, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.

NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.

Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

Written Question
Asked by: Joy Morrissey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all brain tumour centres have equitable access to (a) funding, (b) resources and (c) recognition within national frameworks.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 26 February 2025

The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) is an independent organisation funded by 11 charities as well as by Government. The Centre of Excellence programme is community led, being designed and delivered by a committee of National Health Service professionals and scientists from centres across the United Kingdom. The centres that participate in the TJBCM Centre of Excellence initiative do so voluntarily.

All UK neuro-oncology centres are invited to apply for Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, which is the main “national framework” in neuro-oncology, beyond the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines that apply to all hospitals treating brain tumours. Centres that are not awarded Centre of Excellence designation can also access support from TJBCM and through the Tessa Jowell Network, so all centres and their patients nationally can benefit from this standard-setting. The TJBCM works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support.

The TJBCM welcomes applications from any centre which provides treatment and care for patients with a brain tumour who can demonstrate how they meet the Tessa Jowell Standards of Excellence, to achieve the same high standards of treatment, care, and research. The mission works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support to develop its service, both in England and the devolved nations.

Written Question
Asked by: Joy Morrissey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve equitable access to clinical trials for brain tumour patients; and what plans his Department has to help eligible brain tumour patients to access treatments through clinical trials.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton

Answered on: 26 February 2025

The Department is committed to working with the pharmaceutical industry to develop a more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible clinical research system in the United Kingdom, ensuring that all patients, including those with brain tumours, have access to cutting-edge clinical research and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Research is crucial in tackling brain cancer, which is why the Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being one of the largest areas of investment, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23, reflecting its high priority.

The Department is committed to ensuring that clinical trials are people-centred and more accessible, including for brain tumour patients. For example, the NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

Written Question
Asked by: Joy Morrissey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine the inclusion of tumour centres in the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access for all centres regardless of onsite surgical capacity.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 26 February 2025

The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) is an independent organisation funded by 11 charities as well as by Government. The Centre of Excellence programme is community led, being designed and delivered by a committee of National Health Service professionals and scientists from centres across the United Kingdom. The centres that participate in the TJBCM Centre of Excellence initiative do so voluntarily.

All UK neuro-oncology centres are invited to apply for Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence status, which is the main “national framework” in neuro-oncology, beyond the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines that apply to all hospitals treating brain tumours. Centres that are not awarded Centre of Excellence designation can also access support from TJBCM and through the Tessa Jowell Network, so all centres and their patients nationally can benefit from this standard-setting. The TJBCM works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support.

The TJBCM welcomes applications from any centre which provides treatment and care for patients with a brain tumour who can demonstrate how they meet the Tessa Jowell Standards of Excellence, to achieve the same high standards of treatment, care, and research. The mission works with every centre in the UK who seeks its support to develop its service, both in England and the devolved nations.

Written Question
Asked by: Peter Fortune

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the total amount of Government investment into acoustic neuroma research was in 2023-24; and which public bodies provided that investment.

Answered by: Feryal Clark
Answered on: 18 February 2025

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) invests £1.5 billion per year on health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). We are committed to funding timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public and makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including those who experience hearing problems and tinnitus

Over the past five financial years (2019/20 – 2023/24), the NIHR has invested £3.3 million across 14 studies on these research topics directly through NIHR research programmes, with a further £1.1 million invested in career development and capacity for new hearing loss researchers. NIHR allocated £47,943 for research concerning otitis media and otitis media with effusion research in the financial year 2023-24.

UKRI delivers a substantial portfolio of researcher-led projects. This includes biological, physiological, and mechanistic aspects that are applicable to many ear conditions. UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) also plays a key role in funding underpinning research which may not be attributable to a specific condition but will benefit medical research more generally.

MRC funds Doctoral Training Partnerships, a range of postgraduate training, in 2017-2024, MRC awarded £106, 564 for (opens in a new tab)injury in blast-induced hearing loss and tinnitus research. In 2022 MRC also committed £1,014,670 for age-related hearing loss research, this project is active until 2025.

MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, supports two programmes of work that investigate the neural and cognitive mechanisms of hearing and speech (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MC_UU_00030%2F4 and https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MC_UU_00030%2F6), as well as providing funding in 2023/24 for research into the different types of hearing loss https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FX019217%2F1.

Written Question
Asked by: Dr Keiran Mullan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of excluding measures of grading in brain tumour diagnosis on his targets for cancer diagnosis set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 20th February 2025

The target for earlier cancer diagnosis is to diagnose more cancers at stages 1 and 2, because when cancer is diagnosed earlier, there are more potential treatment options and the likelihood of successful treatment is higher. The grading of brain tumours is not directly comparable to the staging of cancers because brain tumours at grade 1 and grade 2 are not considered cancerous. Only brain tumours at grades 3 and 4 are classed as cancerous.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to improve the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

Written Question
Asked by: Daisy Cooper

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many funding applications the National Institute of Health and Care Research received for brain tumour research on (a) diagnosis and screening and (b) drugs and treatment therapies in each of the last ten years; and how many of those applications secured funding.

Answered by: Ashley Dalton
Answered on: 12th February 2025

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.

Over the ten financial years from 2013/14 to 2023/24, the NIHR received 179 applications for brain tumour research in total. Of these:
54 were for research on diagnosis and screening, five of which were funded;
80 were for research on drugs and treatment, 11 of which were funded and one of which is still under consideration;
12 were for a combination of both categories of research, six of which were funded; and
32 were for other categories of research, five of which were funded.

The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Further information on these new research funding opportunities is available at the following link.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England is providing training to help GPs to diagnose brain tumours at an early stage.

Answered by: Stephen Kinnock
Answered on: 4th February 2025

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on brain tumours, remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council. The RCGP provides a number of resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

The Government aims to ensure that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster, so more patients survive, and improves patients’ experience across the system.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England is providing training to help GPs to diagnose brain tumours at an early stage.

Answered by: Stephen Kinnock
Answered on: 5th February 2025

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on brain tumours, remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council. The RCGP provides a number of resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

The Government aims to ensure that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster, so more patients survive, and improves patients’ experience across the system.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of people affected by brain tumours are considered in the Cancer Plan.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 4th February 2025

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer, including for those affected by brain tumours. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies.

The Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future. As part of that work, Lord Darzi’s report will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including brain tumour patients.

We are now in discussions about what form the National Cancer Plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.

Alongside this work, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.

NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.

Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnosis, (b) treatments and (c) support from clinical nurse specialists for (i) patients and (ii) families affected by brain tumours.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 4th February 2025

We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer, including brain cancer, on time, diagnosing it earlier and treating it faster, so more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. To do this, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits.

In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care,(opens in a new tab) empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear in his view that there should be a National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, including for brain cancer. We are currently in discussions about what form a potential National Cancer Plan for England should take, including its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission, and will provide updates in due course.


Written Question
Asked by: Clive Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnosis, (b) treatments and (c) support from clinical nurse specialists for (i) patients and (ii) families affected by brain tumours.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 4th February

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer, including for those affected by brain tumours. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies.

The Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future. As part of that work, Lord Darzi’s report will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including brain tumour patients.

We are now in discussions about what form the National Cancer Plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.

Alongside this work, the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health Care and Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients.

NHS England is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients are offered a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person. As well as this, all patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.

Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

Written Question
Asked by: Edward Morello

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23243, if he will publish a breakdown of spending on brain cancer research in 2023-24, including UK Research and Innovation funding bodies.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 27 January 2025

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department of Health and Social Care invests over £1.5 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.

In 2023/24, total NIHR spending on direct research awards on brain cancer was £2.1 million spent across 22 active studies with a total lifetime value of £11.8 million. In the same year our wider infrastructure investments, which enable the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research funded by ourselves, charities and industry partners, allowed an additional 1,107 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain cancer research in the National Health Service. Information about research projects funded through NIHR Research Programmes, including on brain cancer, is available at the following link:

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/

The NIHR works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which conducts research through its nine research councils. UKRI figures for spending on brain cancer research in 2023/24 have yet to be finalised.

Written Question
Asked by: Edward Morello

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide a breakdown of spending on brain cancer research in 2023-24.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 16 January 2025

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.

In the financial year 2023/24, total NIHR spending on direct research awards on brain cancer was £2.1 million spent across 22 active studies, with a total lifetime value of £11.8 million. In the same year, our wider infrastructure investments, which enable the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research funded by ourselves, charities, and industry partners, allowed an additional 1,107 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain cancer research in the National Health Service.

In addition to direct research awards, NIHR infrastructure funding enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research supported by other funders. These investments allowed an additional 1,107 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain cancer research in in the NHS in the same period.

Written Question
Asked by Mr Angus MacDonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations to implement a national brain cancer strategy.

Answered by: Andre Gwynne
Answered on: 13 January 2025

Health Services across the United Kingdom are devolved. In England, we are developing a 10-year plan to radically reform the National Health Service, and my Rt Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that there needs to be a national cancer plan, which will include brain cancer. We are currently in discussions about this plan and its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider health mission.

UK Government Ministers regularly engage with their counterparts in the Devolved Governments. No discussions have been had about a UK-wide national brain cancer strategy.

Written Question
Asked by: Mike Amesbury

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to prioritise screening for brain tumours.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 13th January 2025

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee, an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation.

The UK National Screening Committee has not been asked to look at screening for brain tumours. The Committee welcomes any new published peer reviewed evidence which suggests the case for a new or modified screening programme via its annual call, which is available at the following link.

Written Question
Asked by: Matt Bishop

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fund research into potential treatments for brain tumours to help (a) extend life expectancy and (b) alleviate suffering.

Answered by: Andrew Gwynne
Answered on: 13th January 2025

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department of Health and care invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23.

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.