James Evans MS has voiced his support for Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week and has said that improving outcomes for the deadliest cancers will be a key pledge for the Welsh Conservatives ahead of the Senedd election in May.
Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week, which runs next week from 12th to 19th January, focuses on cancers of the lung, pancreas, brain, liver, stomach and oesophagus. In Wales, more than six in ten people diagnosed with one of these cancers die within a year of diagnosis, underlining the urgent need for earlier diagnosis, better treatment and far greater investment in research.
The Welsh Conservatives are pledging to make less survivable cancers a priority, including through an all-Wales Cancer Plan, faster diagnosis and treatment, and greater support for innovative technology and diagnostic testing to improve early detection and survival rates.
James Evans MS, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said:
“Less survivable cancers are exactly that, for far too many families in Wales, a diagnosis still comes too late and the outcomes are devastating. When more than 60% of people diagnosed with these cancers die within a year, it is clear that the system is not working well enough.
“This is about awareness, but it is also about action. These cancers have been underfunded, under-researched and too often overlooked. We need faster diagnosis, better access to testing, and a much stronger focus on early detection.
“Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week is a chance to shine a spotlight on cancers that are too often ignored and to recommit ourselves to doing much better for patients and their families across Wales.”
