The petition of residents of the United Kingdom
Declares that there are life-threateningly few tests for early detection of pancreatic cancer therefore reducing the availability of life-saving early treatment to patients.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to consider the resource needs in relation to the research and development of tests for the early detection of pancreatic cancer, and ensure the appropriate tools are available to General Practitioners across the NHS.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Wendy Chamberlain, Official Report, 4 June 2025; Vol. 768, c. 426.]
[P003080]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton):
The Government recognise that pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose early. Its symptoms are often vague and non-specific, meaning that many patients are diagnosed at a late stage when treatment options are limited and outcomes are poor. This underlines the critical importance of improving routes to earlier diagnosis.
To address this challenge, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways across England. These services support faster and more accurate diagnosis for patients who present with symptoms that do not clearly indicate a specific type of cancer, including those often seen in pancreatic cancer. There are currently 115 NSS services operating, ensuring that more patients benefit from quicker access to the right investigations.
Awareness campaigns such as NHS England’s “Help Us Help You” aim to increase public knowledge of cancer symptoms, including those related to pancreatic cancer, and encourage earlier engagement with health services. NHS England is also working with Pancreatic Cancer UK to develop a public-facing family history checker tool, enabling individuals to assess inherited risk and access further support, including referral into surveillance research studies.
For those at inherited high risk of pancreatic cancer, the NHS is providing a route into surveillance to help detect lesions before they develop into cancer. In addition, the Government have expressed interest in participating in an upcoming national case finding pilot to explore further approaches to improving earlier diagnosis of pancreatic cancers.
The NHS has launched a £2 million initiative, funding 300 GP practices to identify pancreatic cancer early by screening high-risk patients over 60 with new diabetes diagnoses and unexplained weight loss for urgent testing. More than 300 GP practices across England will begin using the initiative, with dozens rolling it out now, and the rest up and running in the autumn.
The Government support research and innovation through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which backed 73 clinical research studies into pancreatic cancer between 2018-19 and 2022-23. On average, 84 additional studies annually were supported by NIHR biomedical research centres and related infrastructure, with contributions from industry and charity partners.
We recognise the importance of giving GPs the tools they need for timely investigation of symptoms. That is why we are increasing direct access to key diagnostic tests in primary care, particularly those relevant for detecting cancer at earlier stages.
Through the recently announced cancer plan and through ongoing reforms to cancer pathways, we remain focused on accelerating diagnosis, boosting survival rates and reducing inequalities in outcomes for people affected by pancreatic cancer.