Thank you for contacting me about Pancreatic Cancer UK’s “No Time to Wait” campaign.

I share your concerns regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.  I understand that the very nature of pancreatic cancer makes it difficult to detect at an early stage, but when patients are diagnosed it is crucial that they are referred with a sense of urgency to treatment services to ensure they have every best possible chance of fighting the disease.

In Wales, those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have the lowest rate of survival, and this is due in part to the failure to diagnose the disease at the earliest opportunity and to direct the patient to treatment.

Worryingly, as we enter the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer referral times have not recovered.  Before the pandemic, 73.7% of patients were seen within 62 days. 

During the pandemic, Wales saw a shocking drop in cancer referrals – with just 4,913 starting treatment in April 2020.  Currently, there are 19.7%, or 2,914, fewer cancer patients on the Single Cancer Pathway than in July 2019.

The Welsh Labour-led Government must ensure all cancers are diagnosed and treated at the earliest opportunity during this pandemic.  Therefore my colleague, the Shadow Minister for Health, Social Services and Sport, will continue to raise concerns about referral to treatment times – including those of Pancreatic Cancer UK - directly with the Health Minister.

I have also written to BCUHB regarding pancreatic cancer services.