Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport and the northern parishes, highlights the importance of support for Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Week, which began on Monday (12th January 2026).
- The week aims to raise awareness of the six less survivable common cancers: lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers.
- A major topic driving this year’s awareness campaign is the push for greater government investment into research for less survivable cancers, to drive the breakthroughs urgently needed to improve outcomes for patients, families and the communities affected.
It has been shown that research into the 6 less survivable cancers receives less than one-fifth (18.92%) of all government-funded cancer research, despite them accounting for nearly 40% of all common cancer deaths in the UK.
This disparity in funding reflects a situation where less survivable cancers receive approximately £130 less in research funding per cancer death compared to the average. Some, like oesophageal, receive as little as £40 per death (compared to an average of £310 across other cancers).
The statistics surrounding these cancers are deeply concerning. Together, they have an average five-year survival rate of just 16%. More than 95,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with one of these cancers each year and they account for 40% of all cancer deaths.
The government’s upcoming National Cancer Plan, set to come out in February of this year, vows to:
- Speed up diagnosis and treatment
- Improve outcomes for patients with less survivable cancers
- Ensure patients have access to new treatments and technology
- Improve cancer survival rates
To better address the research gap into rarer cancers, the strategy is also set to foster opportunities for UK researchers to collaborate on international cancer research. This will be particularly important for areas where affected populations are small, such as with rare cancers.
MP for Southport and the northern parishes, Patrick Hurley said:
“Less Survivable Cancers Awareness week is an important period of the year when recognition can be driven on a subject that rarely receives the considerable attention it warrants.
“This year is a particularly significant one for me, as it marks 20 years since I lost both my father and wife to oesophageal cancer. In Merseyside, oesophageal cancer incident rates are 34% higher than the rest of the UK, and total deaths are 20% above the country’s benchmark. This disproportionate geographical distribution reflects the overwhelming pain this cancer has caused not only to me, but the people of my constituency, and local communities around the Merseyside area.
“I encourage this government to drive up survival rates, through funding research into concrete measures and techniques that will help better detect, diagnose, and treat these cancers with the efficiency that they require. I also call for action to address the geographical imbalance, that means my part of the country is being disproportionately affected compared to the rest of the UK.”
To learn more about Less Survivable Cancers, visit: https://lesssurvivablecancers.org.uk/
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