WORLD CANCER DAY 2021

Today marks World Cancer Day, an important day for raising awareness and mobilising the global community in the fight against cancer. Cancer is a global challenge, and this day recognises the need for international collaboration to improve research and save lives.

In the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes and every family is affected by cancer.

However, huge strides that have been made in cancer research and treatments in recent decades and now two in four people in the UK survive cancer for 10 years or more. More work needs to be done however to ensure faster access to services, and fund research into treatments.

Today I met with Cancer Research UK to discuss the huge impact Covid19 has had on cancer services and research.

Last year, medical research charities invested £1.9billion in research in the UK. However, Covid19 has led to a drastic reduction in the capacity of charities to fund research, there will be a significant impact on national investment in research in cancer which has huge implications for biomedical research in the UK.

There must be no slide backwards which will undermine years of pioneering treatment and life-saving research. The UK Government must invest in medical research in the upcoming Budget if medical breakthroughs are to be made to save lives from cancer.