CANCER sufferer Bob Norburn's battle to have his life-saving treatment funded by the NHS for the second time has been backed by the Conservative Party.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley is supporting the Westhoughton businessman's campaign for Bolton's Primary Care Trust to pay for the pioneering cryotherapy which he hopes will rid his body of prostate cancer.

He said: "It is unacceptable that Mr Norburn has been left hanging in the balance like this, patients should become before paperwork."

Mr Norburn, aged 58, has also written to Education Secretary and Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt in a bid to have the treatment paid for. He said: "For someone like Andrew Lansley to take the time to support me really means a lot. My own constituency MP hasn't even bothered to acknowledge the email I have sent to her, and neither has the health secretary and I think that's disgusting."

The father-of-one is due to go into hospital in Sunderland on December 6, to have the treatment carried out. But he could be forced to pay for a second time after a meeting of the borough's health bosses has been held up because of missing paperwork.

The Commissioning Panel was due to meet on November 16, but because of the delay the meeting has to be put back to December 14 - eight days after Mr Norburn's treatment is due to start.

The Christie claims they have sent all the documentation, while the hospital in Sunderland have promised to do all they can to resolve the matter.