Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average life expectancy is for (a) newly diagnosed and (b) recurrent glioblastoma patients in the NHS over the last 10 years.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis, treatment, and outcome data on cancer patients in England. The NDRS does not routinely publish statistics on life expectancy.

However, NHS England publishes survival data for all cancers, including brain cancer, which includes glioblastoma. Currently, glioblastoma is not included as a separate cancer group in our routine statistics.

The latest data shows one year survival after diagnosis is 41.7% and five‑year survival for brain cancer is 12.9%. The data can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-survival-in-england/cancers-diagnosed-2016-to-2020-followed-up-to-2021

The Government recognises that glioblastoma is an aggressive and fast‑growing form of brain cancer with poor outcomes and is committed to improving outcomes and investing in research for brain cancers, including glioblastoma. The National Cancer Plan includes a strong focus on rarer and less common cancers, such as brain tumours, to drive earlier diagnosis, improved care, and better survival.