Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to identify the causes of the increase in the (a) incidence and (b) mortality rates of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in England.

The Department recognises the importance of understanding trends in rare cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma.

The Department supports research into cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and works closely with NHS England, researchers, and cancer charities to improve understanding of cancer risk factors and outcomes.

The Government recognises that cholangiocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive cancer. The National Cancer Plan for England identifies rare and less common cancers as a priority and includes actions to improve earlier diagnosis, treatment, research, and patient outcomes for people affected by these cancers. The plan makes clear that improving survival for rare and less survivable cancers is a priority over the lifetime of the plan, with a focus on addressing the historic lack of progress in these conditions. It includes measures to strengthen early diagnosis through improved support for primary care, including the use of artificial intelligence driven decision‑support tools and enhanced safety‑netting to help identify harder‑to‑diagnose cancers more quickly.

The plan also commits to ensuring patients with rare cancers can access specialist expertise through dedicated multidisciplinary teams and more coordinated care pathways. In addition, it sets out actions to improve the evidence base through better data collection and more granular reporting on rare cancers, alongside increased opportunities to participate in research and clinical trials.

Through this work, the Government is supporting efforts to strengthen the evidence base on risk factors, including liver disease, infection, and other underlying conditions, and to improve data collection and research on rare cancers.