WANTAGE MP Ed Vaizey has given his support to a new campaign to raise awareness and funds for primary bone cancer.

Mr Vaizey joined a Parliamentary reception for The Biggest Fight Against Bone Cancer which was hosted by the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

Reception guests heard that every year in the UK and Ireland about 600 new cases of primary bone cancer are diagnosed and about 300 people die from these cancers.

Young people are most likely to be affected as the disease has a peak incidence between the ages of 10 to 24 years old.

Mr Vaizey was partly there to support his constituent Andy Lewis from Brightwell, chairman of trustees of the Bone Cancer Trust, who lost his 22-year-old son Alex to bone cancer in 2011.

Mr Vaizey said: “I was disturbed to hear that survival rates for bone cancer have remained unchanged for more than 25 years, and that patients who survive the disease often face disability as a result of life-altering surgery and treatment.

“It was great to hear more about the crucial work that the Bone Cancer Research Trust is doing to improve early diagnosis and treatment options and I’m pleased to have shown my support for The Biggest Fight Against Bone Cancer.”

The campaign’s head of fundraising Mat Cottle-Shaw added: “We need all MPs to recognise the importance of our campaign and how crucial it is to primary bone cancer patients and are very grateful to Ed for his interest. We look forward to working with Ed in the future to help raise vital awareness of bone cancer in Wantage and Didcot.”