The Department of Health and Social Care is calling for “expert ideas and evidence” that can support the development of the national cancer plan for England, inviting comments and feedback on questions across prevention, access, early diagnosis, treatment, research and innovation.
Focusing on maximising impact using the most up-to-date tech and innovations, the DHSC also notes intentions to empower patients by offering more control over their own care, and to improve communications to support patients in making decisions about their diagnosis and treatment.
Setting out aims to “go further” to prevent cancer, to speed up diagnosis and treatment, to improve outcomes, and to ensure patients have access to the latest treatments, digital tools and technologies; the call for comment notes the potential for piloting innovative diagnostic technologies and modernising cancer screening in enhancing early diagnosis.
The survey asks for feedback on where changes could make the most impact in areas like early diagnosis, with options such as “increase diagnostic test access and capacity”, “support timely and effective referrals from primary care”, and “increase support for research and innovation”.
The call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 29 April. According to the DHSC, evidence gathered through this exercise will inform the upcoming national cancer plan for England, with the organisation set to respond to evidence received and publish the plan later this year.
Transformation in cancer care
In January, a report titled “Cancer Services in Wales: A review of the strategic approach to improving the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment” was published by the Auditor General for Wales, outlining that “despite increased investment, there is a continuing failure to meet the national performance targets for cancer”, highlighting risks to patient safety from fragmented digital systems and the need for more consistent national data.
Google has announced a partnership with the Institute of Women’s Cancers, with the aim to find ways in which AI tools can help “improve outcomes” for female patients with breast cancer and gynaecological cancers. Formed at the France AI Action Summit, the partnership aims to develop an understanding of how AI can “help better address cancer” with research focusing on the role of AI tools when predicting the progression of cancer and any potential risks of relapse. Other areas of focus include utilising their combined expertise for the “identification of new biomarkers that can predict which patients will benefit from specific therapies” and exploring the “origins of tumours, their evolution over time and the specific characteristics of rarer and more complex cancers”.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust together with the Kent and Medway Cancer Collaborative, have opened a procurement for a cancer information system, aiming to support the management of their cancer pathway. The trust plans to introduce the platform across the entire cancer pathway, providing the ability to manage referrals for suspected cancer, ongoing treatment of confirmed cancers, self-supported management pathways via NHS login and patient portal, holistic needs assessment, treatment summaries and screening and surveillance of liver and lung cancers.
