Yesterday, I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the need to freeze and preserve brain tumour tissue. As a doctor, I know that many brain tumour patients miss out on potentially lifesaving treatments because tissue removed in their surgery is stored using paraffin wax, which often makes it unsuitable for advanced testing and creating personalised cancer vaccines.
I urged the Government to do more to tackle geographical inequalities to ensure all NHS Trusts have the facilities necessary to freeze tissue. I pressed the Minister on why the health service continues to rely on an inadequate Victorian solution for storing tissue in this era of genomic medicine and I stressed the importance of addressing these issues in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
Despite the great strides we have made improving treatment for the most common cancers, outcomes for brain tumours have barely improved in recent decades. I will continue campaigning in Parliament for more to be done and I would like to thank my constituents who have shared their personal experiences with me in advance of this important debate.
