SCREENING FOR LI-FRAUMENI SYNDROME IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER

That this House notes the urgent need to institute a national screening and surveillance programme for people suffering from Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS); further notes that this rare genetic condition predisposes sufferers to cancer development; notes that for affected individuals the lifetime risk of developing one or more cancers exceeds 90 per cent; recognises that there is no treatment for (LFS) and that early detection of cancer offers people with (LFS) the best chance of successful treatment; notes that an international panel of experts has recommended a screening protocol for children and adults; understands that the implementation of such a protocol in the NHS requires funding at local or national level; therefore calls on the Government to make funding available to this under-served population; and urges additional research in (LFS), including the possibility of germ-line testing of all children with cancer in order to increase the early detection of this and other genetic cancer predispositions.