Malignant Melanoma

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 24 January 2018.

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Photo of Peter Chapman Peter Chapman Conservative

8. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to add malignant melanoma to the detect cancer early programme. (S5O-01711)

Photo of Shona Robison Shona Robison Scottish National Party

The Scottish Government’s detect cancer early programme is supporting five pilot projects that focus on improvements in the early diagnosis of malignant melanoma across five national health service boards. The pilots are due to report at the end of March 2018, when the detect cancer early programme board will consider the reports and the potential to scale up any projects for regional and national activity.

The Scottish Government has reinforced its commitment to earlier diagnosis and treatment, as outlined in “Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action”. That cancer strategy, which is accompanied by £100 million of investment, serves as a blueprint for the future of cancer services in Scotland and aims to improve prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare for people who are suspected to have, or who have a confirmed diagnosis of, cancer of any type.

Photo of Peter Chapman Peter Chapman Conservative

The detect cancer early programme was launched in 2012, focusing on lung, breast and colorectal cancers. Between 2012 and 2016, there were 882 recorded mortalities from malignant melanoma in Scotland. NHS Grampian, which covers my region, had the fourth highest rate, with 79. Cancer early diagnosis rates have failed to increase enough to meet the Government target. Will the cabinet secretary commit to adding malignant melanoma to the programme and raising the early detection targets, with the hope of reducing mortalities?

Photo of Shona Robison Shona Robison Scottish National Party

The member raises an important point. We have seen an increase in the instances of malignant melanoma. In 2015, there were 1,363 diagnoses of melanoma, which was a 36.6 per cent increase in the number of instances over the previous 10 years. We know a lot of the reasons for that, and I am sure that the member will know about those, too. The important thing is what we do about it.

As I said in my initial answer, the detect cancer early programme board agreed an options appraisal process to look at the potential to include additional tumour groups in the DCE programme. Following that process, it was agreed to consider malignant melanoma as the next tumour type of interest in the programme. The clinical consensus was that a large-scale public awareness campaign would not be beneficial and that funding should focus on improvements in the existing diagnostic pathways to ensure that those who are most at risk are prioritised as requiring urgent assessment. Boards were invited to bid for funding to develop those local tests of change projects for delivery and, as I said, there will be a report in March 2018. Once we have that report, I am happy to write to the member to set out what it says, and we will take action thereafter depending on what the report tells us.