By Siobhan Baillie

 

THIS week I took part in a debate for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

I have been asked by several constituents to raise this matter in parliament and I was happy to do so. Those affected by pancreatic cancer talk about the failure in our medical system. As wonderful as the NHS is, there is a failure to detect this cancer earlier.

I told MPs and the Minister that I was asked to raise the failure to get people to properly understand the symptoms of this cancer. As one of my constituents said: “The clue is in the loo,” which I like as a slogan.

I added that I knew that Stroud people, whom I love dearly, will die of this most deadly common cancer, if the health care system does not change.

In the debate I talked about one of my constituents: a young woman, my age, a mum, businesswoman, super-bright and a cancer survivor who went backwards and forwards to her doctor for five years with symptoms. The cancer was not diagnosed. Her tumour was the size of a walnut and internal.

Where there is an internal walnut-sized lump—not lumps on breasts or testicles—we are stuck, and it often goes undetected. Sadly, this means that the stage that people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is incredibly late.

The Minister confirmed she would look into the prescribing of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) because it can improve quality of life and understands we want to see action.

COP27 has been taking place in Egypt. Much of what has happened there has been overshadowed by discussions about countries paying reparations to others because of climate change. I would prefer the focus to be on the UK ensuring our technology and expertise helps to mitigate climate change and lower emissions in other countries.

I accept we were the first country to industrialise. However, China has emitted more greenhouse gases in the last eight years than the UK has done since 1750, according to newspaper reports. Today the UK emits less than 1% of the world’s emissions.