Edinburgh MP says boosting cancer research would bring economic as well as health benefits
‘What is needed now is greater support from government’ - Dr Scott Arthur MP
Boosting cancer research in the UK would not only help to transform lives , but also bring economic benefits, according to Edinburgh South West Labour MP Scott Arthur.
In a debate in the House of Commons, which he hopes will take place next month, Dr Arthur - whose Rare Cancers Bill was passed at Westminster earlier this year - will press for cancer research to be progressed faster and further.
He successfully applied for the backbench debate on the future of cancer research in the UK last week, but a date has not yet been set.
He said: “Fundamentally, it is about holding the Government to account, but also thinking about not just the health benefits of working in this area, but the economic benefits. The UK has a world-leading record on cancer research, and breakthroughs have transformed the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancers in my lifetime. But there is a feeling that, while progress is faster than in the past, it is perhaps starting to slow a little.
“There are several pressing issues, principally delays in setting up clinical trials, which mean that promising treatments are reaching patients more slowly than they should.
“I have a constituent called Faye Robertson. She is a clinician, and she has just won £70 million to research glioblastoma with the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, which is fantastic. However, she says that, if she had chosen to go to the States, she would have started the work a year earlier, such are the delays in the UK.
“It is not just about giving people access to treatments; it is about giving them access to really good clinical trials that mean that they have more support as they go through their cancer journey. It is also about ensuring that we are investing in the UK economy and bringing those jobs and that investment to the UK.”
Dr Arthur said he wanted to secure a significant increase in cancer research funding to enable breakthroughs.
“I have had the privilege of speaking with remarkable researchers, including many based here in Edinburgh, who are carrying out world-leading work on the frontline of the fight against cancer. The talent, expertise and ambition are already there. What is needed now is greater support from government.
“This debate should not merely be an opportunity for ministers to list what is already being done. It must be a moment for the Government to set out what more it will do to accelerate research, improve outcomes and save lives.”
And he said the prospect of progress was real. “Campaigners for lobular breast cancer, a condition that has historically received less attention than other forms of breast cancer, believe targeted investment of around £20 million could help unlock significant breakthroughs.
“I will also be making the case for both the UK and Scottish Governments to support the Scottish Health and Biomedical Institute, a partnership led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow and other leading institutions. One of its central aims is to tackle the stark inequalities in cancer outcomes between the wealthiest and poorest communities.
“There are few inequalities more unjust than those that determine whether someone survives cancer based on where they live or their circumstances. By supporting cutting-edge research and improving access to prevention and treatment, we have a chance to begin closing that gap.
“Government now has an opportunity to match the determination of patients, families and researchers with the ambition and investment needed to transform cancer care for future generations.”