Teenage Cancer Trust responds to the King's Speech
King’s Speech marks a positive start to improving health services in England but this must include the needs of young people with cancer, says Teenage Cancer Trust.
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The King’s Speech is part of the State Opening of Parliament, which sets out what the Government in Westminster plans to focus on during this parliamentary session. Despite it being read by the King, the agenda is written by the government.
Responding to the King’s Speech, Kate Collins, Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “While we are pleased that the King’s Speech has been used as an opportunity for the new government to highlight how it is going to start improving healthcare in England, by reducing NHS waiting times and improving mental health provision for young people, it must now ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer are considered in all of these plans.
“Every day, seven young people aged 13-24 are diagnosed with cancer and by 2030 this number is expected to rise to ten.
“Each young person needs access to specialised care and support to help them through it. Without this, we’re risking lives and futures.
“The new government has the chance to drive change for a generation of young people with cancer.
“Young people need the government to create a long-term cancer strategy that includes a commitment to ensure teenagers and young adults are diagnosed faster, can access expert mental health support, have access to life-saving clinical trials, and are offered appropriate treatment to preserve their fertility.
“We will be looking closely at the details following the King’s Speech to understand what this could mean for young people, and we are looking forward to meeting with newly elected parliamentarians to discuss how we can work together.”
Our asks for the UK Government are focused on England, this is because health is a devolved issue. You can find information about our work in the devolved nations here.
- Publish a new, long-term cancer strategy in England to improve outcomes for young people with cancer,
- Ensure that every teenager and young adult with cancer has access to expert psychological support from the point they are diagnosed and for a minimum of two years after their treatment,
- Ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer have access to clinical trials - otherwise they risk missing out on new treatments that could increase their chances of survival,
- Take action to ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer are diagnosed faster – many have to visit their GP multiple times before they are diagnosed,
- Ensure that teenagers and young adults with cancer are offered appropriate treatment to preserve their fertility. The government must commit to further research to understand why some young people face challenges preserving their fertility,
- Ensure that good quality, timely data for teenagers and young adults with cancer is readily available, providing insights into the unique issues that young people face,
- Future planning for the NHS workforce is essential to provide necessary detail about how capacity within cancer care can be increased. Additionally, it is vital that the government guarantees there is a specialist workforce available to treat teenagers and young adults with cancer.
The Labour Party Manifesto includes a number of commitments that we hope might help to drive vital change for young people with cancer. We will be looking closely at the details to understand more about what this could mean for young people.
These commitments include:
- A focus on getting people diagnosed earlier by creating a new fund called ‘Fit For the Future’ which will double the number of CT and MRI scanners,
- Looking to maximise the country’s potential to lead the world in clinical trials,
- Guaranteeing in-person GP appointments for anyone who wants one, to improve diagnosis.
As we start to engage with MPs over the coming weeks and months, we will keep you updated what the government’s plans mean for teenagers and young adults with cancer and the progress towards our policy calls.
Facing cancer is incredibly hard at any age. But there are lots of reasons cancer can hit young people even harder.
- Getting a cancer diagnosis in the first place is harder. Although cancer in teenagers and young adults is more common than you might think, it’s still relatively rare, and symptoms can often be mistaken for growing pains or infections. In a 2022 survey, nearly half (47%) of teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer had to see their GP three or more times before referral – the most out of any age group.
- Cancer treatments can be less effective for young people. The physical changes and rapid growth we go through during puberty and young adulthood can negatively affect how the body metabolises chemotherapy drugs, for example, or can lead to more severe side-effects with a higher risk of short and long-term complications.
- Accessing clinical trials can be harder. Clinical trials help researchers find new and better treatments. But many trials are designed for children or older adults, meaning teenagers and young adults might not be eligible to join or won’t get treatment tailored to their age group. And because there are lots of different types of cancer that can affect young people, patient numbers for each cancer type are small, which makes it harder to recruit and run trials.