Steve Brine learned more about Patient experiences of neuroendocrine tumours (NET) as he took part in a House of Commons event on 4th November 2014.
The 'listening to the experts' session, hosted by Steve's colleague Eric Ollerenshaw MP, was an opportunity for MPs to hear about some of the significant issues faced by NET patients, including the need for swift development and publication of the service specification for NETs, and the compelling evidence regarding the health burden patients have to bear.
The event heard from the National Clinical Director for Cancer, Sean Duffy, who sees tackling late diagnosis of cancer as a public health priority. For a NET patient, a correct diagnosis can take an average of 4 years around half of all NET patients are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread either regionally or to other organs and over 90% of gastrointestinal NET patients are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread.
Mr Brine met with a constituent from the city centre, and said: "I learnt a lot today, and this was a really useful opportunity to discuss patient experiences of NETs and to mark NET Cancer Day 2014, by raising awareness about the potentially devastating impact of late diagnosis and the lack of referral to specialist centres for NET patients."