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Britain Against Cancer 2007
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer's landmark
annual conference for 2007 took place on 4th December at the
Church House
conference centre in Westminster.
Britain Against Cancer has become an annual event and
for the last eight years has successfully brought together patients, health professionals
and policy-makers to look at the impact of public policy on cancer services and
research.
This
year’s conference addressed the latest developments in cancer:
developments in patient care, cancer care, research and health
policy.
Presentations from this year’s conference are now available on this site and can be downloaded below.
Presentations from Britain Against Cancer 2007
Over 25 politicians, patients, clinicians, charity
representatives and researchers spoke in plenary and breakout sessions at Britain
Against Cancer 2007, with around 350 delegates in attendance.
Below you will find some of the presentations made
at the conference.
New developments in cancer – a whirlwind tour of 2007
Speeches and
Q&A Session with Ann Keen, Minister of State for Health Services and Professor
Mike Richards, National Cancer Director
Ann Keen states improving cancer services 'top priority for the Government'
Ms Keen noted that despite such achievements,
there was still 'much more to be done', due to demographic changes which now saw
people living longer, and a greater number of people living who had survived cancer.
Such social changes presented a number
of opportunities to develop new cancer treatments and to create a new model for
cancer care, she added.
The Minister said that alongside the
Cancer Reform Strategy, the Government would go further to prevent the disease,
announcing plans for a consultation next spring to assess the 'next step to end
tobacco addiction'. She added that
the Government had also pledged to increase the age of individuals entitled to breast
and bowel cancer screening, as well as implement a number of initiatives that would
raise public awareness of cancer.
Moving on, Ms Keen stressed the importance
of making improvements in the three main cures of cancer, surgery, radiography and
drug therapy, and said that further training would be provided in surgical techniques,
as well as the extension of waiting time targets for all types of cancer.
She added that the Government would
also increase radiography spending by £300 million for new equipment and to expand
the workforce, as well as ensuring that all cancer drugs were referred to NICE.
Addressing inequalities in cancer
treatment, the Minister said that the Government would be working further with charities
and clinicians to look at how services could be uniformly offered to all, and announced
plans for a National Cancer Equality Initiative.
Ms Keen also spoke of the need to
improve the experience of cancer patients, through increasing the number of specialist
nurses in the UK and improving the information and emotional support available. She added that it was also important
to think of the quality of life for cancer survivors, and provide individuals with
long term support including help to return to the labour market.
Concluding, she said that the Prime
Minister had spoke of his intention to make cancer care a top priority for the Government,
and had pledged to make cancer care and services in the UK 'world class'.
She added that as Minister for Cancer, she would work to ensure this was
delivered.
A brief question and answer session
followed with Ms Keen and the National Cancer Director, Mike Richards.
Dr Ian Gibson asked Mr Richards whether the Cancer Reform Strategy included
additional spending to tackle the disease.
Responding, Mr Richards said that
the Strategy did include further funding, as there had been a Comprehensive Spending
Review since the formation of the Strategy which had recognised the need to increase
spending to deliver world class cancer services in the UK, but warned that the NHS
would also be expected to deliver value for money.
A representative from the Prostate
Cancer Awareness Association put to the panel that there was no mention of prostate
cancer in the Cancer Reform Strategy, despite the fact that the disease was the
'biggest killer of men in the UK'.
The Minister for Cancer, Ms Keen,
replied that she had recently met with representatives to discuss how individuals
with prostate cancer could be better supported, and that she would continue to look
into the matter. She added that the
Government was 'well aware' that support was insufficient.
Asked why NICE had restricted the
drug Velcade to patients suffering their first relapse of myeloma, Mr Richards said
that the problem here was that NICE was limited to look at license indications only,
and that maybe a review was needed.
A member of the audience asked the
panel whether the UK needed a reform of its Cancer Strategy, or whether more money
was needed.
The National Cancer Director said
that budgetary figures for cancer services had increased by 27 per cent over the
last three years, but that there also had to be reform of inpatient care.
Report provided by DeHavilland Information Services
Review of the year Cancer research: how do we sustain the momentum? (session 1)
The latest
developments in cancer genetics and personalised medicines (session 2)
The latest
developments in cancer screening and prevention (session 3)
The latest
developments in end of life care (session 4)
The latest
developments in cancer survival (session 5)
Cancer in the
developing world (session 6)
Britain Against Cancer Sponsorship
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer would like
to thank the sponsors of the 2007 Britain Against Cancer conference who make a valuable
contribution to the development of cancer treatments, but who have no control over
the APPG’s activities or publications:
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