Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to shorten the diagnostic pathway for ovarian cancer by allowing the CA125 blood test and ultrasound to be undertaken at the same time.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is supporting NHS England in developing Best Practice Timed pathways, to support the ongoing improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve patient experience of care, and meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard. This standard ensures patients are told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out, within 28 days of urgent cancer referral from general practice or screening service.
In March 2023, NHS England published guidance for local health and care systems to implement a timed gynaecological cancer diagnostic pathway, including for ovarian cancer. The gynaecological pathway ensures that at day zero, when presenting with symptoms, an ultrasound and a minimum data set is obtained, which includes a full blood count. For patients with suspected ovarian cancer, the minimum dataset should also include tumour marker CA125, with confirmation of suspicious features of ovarian cancer on ultrasound.
The guidance further ensures that patients with persistent abdominal symptoms, raised CA125, and a normal pelvic scan should be referred through the non-specific symptoms rapid diagnostic centre pathway. Women over 50 years old with elevated CA125 and palpable mass or ascites, or both, or with a previous ultrasound with risk of malignancy, should be referred straight to a computed tomography scan.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce regional variations in early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer treatment is a priority for the Government, as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as both are key contributors to reducing cancer health inequalities. The National Health Service is improving cancer pathways to get people diagnosed faster once referred, and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway, but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. This will help support faster ovarian cancer diagnosis. 113 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development.
Mar. 25 2024
Source Page: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts: December 2023Found: :00Meeting / Video ConferenceWomen’s Health Champion Women's Health2023-12-20 00:00:00MeetingTarget Ovarian
Mar. 19 2024
Source Page: FOI responses published by MOD: week commencing 18 March 2024Found: (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Hereditary Nonpol yposis Colorectal cancer ).
Mar. 15 2024
Source Page: I. Equity in medical devices: Independent Review. Incl. appendices [Chair, Dame Margaret Whitehead]. 130p. II. Government response to the report of the equity in medical devices: independent review. 64p.Found: Imaging databanks for skin cancer diagnostic devices 6.
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 29 May 2023Found: the skin cancer.
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 4 December 2023Found: (5), malignant melano ma (3), brain cancer (2), thyro id cancer (2), non -Hodgkin’s lympho ma (2),
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 4 December 2023Found: NEC Haemorrhagic adrenal infarction 1 0 Female gonadal function disorders Polycystic ovarian
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 4 December 2023Found: (1), fracture (1), bronchopneumopathy (1), ovarian cancer (1), gastrointestinal carcino ma (1), pelvic
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 27 November 2023Found: you be able to advise whether MHRA are looking to approve mirvetuximab for use in platinum resistant ovarian