Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the national cancer plan for England, published in February 2026, what performance metrics are being used to monitor delivery of the commitment to improve outcomes for rare and less common cancers; and what is the latest reported performance against each metric.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.

We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.

The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the national cancer plan for England; and how those outcomes compare with the baseline used when the national cancer plan for England was published.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.

We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.

The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what governance arrangements have been established to oversee implementation of rare and less common cancer commitments within the national cancer plan for England.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.

We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.

The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the initial priorities are for the role of the new national clinical lead for rare cancers.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.

We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.

The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.

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