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Written question asked by Toby Perkins (Labour) on Friday, 10 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 October 2025. It was answered by Ashley Dalton (Labour) on Monday, 20 October 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Multiple Myeloma

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including targets to reduce the diagnosis time for myeloma in the National Cancer Plan for England.

Answer

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
78078
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Diagnosis Standards Multiple myeloma
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk