ACCESS TO TREATMENTS FOR SARCOMA PATIENTS

That this House notes that sarcoma is a cancer of connective tissue; further notes that around 3,000 people are diagnosed with sarcoma every year in the United Kingdom; believes that measures are needed to tackle the low levels of public and health professional awareness of the disease; welcomes the work of Sarcoma UK in raising awareness of the disease and supporting sarcoma patients and their families; recognises that there have been relatively few advances in sarcoma treatment; is encouraged by recent innovations in treatment; congratulates South Birmingham Primary Care Trust and other primary care trusts which have agreed to fund new treatments for sarcoma patients but is concerned that these are not universally available in the NHS; and urges the Government to take steps to ensure that appropriate treatments are universally available to all NHS sarcoma patients who need them.