Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria were used to determine the cancer types selected for the evaluation of treatment and services by the Royal College of Surgeons and NHS England; and whether an assessment was made of the potential merits of including liver cancer in that study.

The cancer clinical audit review undertaken in 2021 was based on the level of variation apparent, based on proxy indicators and the difference in outcomes we might expect that variation to result in. This led to five new cancer clinical audits being commissioned in 2022, with liver cancer being taken into consideration during the selection process, but not proposed for an audit at that time.

As part of NHS England’s commitment to implementing wider NHS Long Term Plan actions relating to both cancer and liver disease detection and management, there have been discussions as to whether a review of adult liver services should be undertaken in the future. Should such a review take place, the Specialised Commissioning Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group will be a key contributor, working in collaboration with colleagues responsible for non-specialised aspects of the liver pathway, including the Hepatitis C and early diagnosis programmes, as well as integrated care boards. The case for a review of liver services will be considered in the context of available resources, taking into account the other priorities to be delivered by the NHS England specialised commissioning team, other related national programmes, and local commissioning teams.