TEENAGE CANCER

Early day motion 224, tabled 8 December 2003 by Ian Gibson (Labour). Signed by 95 members.

That this House is concerned by the recent warnings from Cancer Reseach UK and the UK Children's Cancer Study Group that teenagers and young adults with cancer are often missing out on specialist research treatment and care; notes that adolescents develop a different range of cancers than older people or children, and that survival rates among adolescents with cancer have not improved as dramatically as those in younger children; notes with concern that there are considerable regional differences in the length and quality of follow-up for young people once treatment has ended and that there is a shortfall in the number of young people entering clinical trials which are important for developing future treatments as well as providing specialist treatment and monitoring opportunities; and urges the Government to introduce a national registry for patients aged 15 to 24 years to commit itself to more specialist treatment centres for teenagers and young adults, and to develop a strategy for getting more adolescents into clinical trials.

Signatures by party: Labour 61, Liberal Democrat 16, Conservative 6, Labour/Co-operative 4, DUP 2, Plaid Cymru 2, UUP 2, Independent Ulster Unionist 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.