MSP Jackie Baillie is supporting efforts to save lives and boost research into less survivable cancers.
The Dumbarton politician has given her backing to the campaign by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT), to invest in research and improve the chances of survival for sufferers of cancers of the brain, liver, lung, oesophagus, pancreas or stomach – known as Less Survivable Cancers.
She sponsored an event for MSPs at Holyrood, to mark Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week recently.
Information obtained by the Taskforce indicates that research into these forms of the disease receives less than one-fifth – 18.92 per cent – of all government-funded cancer research, despite them accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all common cancer deaths in the UK.
The funding disparity reflects a situation where less survivable cancers receive approximately £130 less in research funding per cancer death, compared to the average across all cancers – with some, like Oesophageal, receiving as little as £40.
The average across all other cancers is £310.
This stark imbalance is thought to contribute to extremely poor outcomes for patients, with figures released by the Taskforce last year finding that more than half – some 61 per cent – of people in Scotland diagnosed with one of the six less survivable cancers will die from the disease within a year.
Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton MSP and Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for Health, said: “Thousands of people are diagnosed with one of the less survivable cancers in Scotland every year and it’s extremely sad to know their long-term chances are so dire.
“We all need to recognise the scale of this challenge and back research into these cancers.”
The Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce launched in 2017, represents the six less survivable cancers with an average five year survival rate of 16 per cent due to a legacy of neglect and underfunding.
It is a partnership of charities supporting patients who have these cancers, including Action Against Heartburn, Pancreatic Cancer UK, the Brain Tumour Charity and the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
Lorraine Dallas, Chair of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce Scotland group, said: “Improving Scotland’s overall cancer survival rates hinges on targeting less survivable cancers, and this data underlines the critical need for urgent action.
“Scotland has played a leading role in pioneering initiatives to support earlier diagnosis and improved surveillance, but we have the potential, and vital need, to do so much more. We want the next Scottish Government to commit to addressing the research gap and ensuring that all patients, regardless of cancer type, have the best possible chance of survival.”
The LSCT aims to increase the survivability of these cancers to 28 per cent by 2029.
The LSCT hosted an event for MSPs at Holyrood today as part of Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week.
