Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy for all lung cancer patients to be routinely screened for ROS1 biomarkers.

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) provides genomic testing in the National Health Service. Testing is delivered by the NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs and directed by the National Genomic Test Directory. The test directory comprises of a full list of clinical indications, with over 200 cancer clinical indications for genomics testing, including ROS1 biomarker testing for non-small cell lung cancer, a common form of lung cancer.

NHS England, supported by the Genomics Clinical Reference Group and genomic test evaluation working groups, holds responsibility for reviewing the test directory on an annual basis following a robust and evidence-based process. Through this process, NHS England will continue to consider the potential costs and benefits of expanding or altering the genomic testing which it commissions, ensuring that this testing is available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including lung cancer patients, have access to innovative diagnostics tests. In May, NHS England announced the roll out of liquid biopsy testing which is now available for all eligible lung cancer patients, which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with lung cancer.

The 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July, commits to further expanding the GMS and developing a new population health genomics service which will combine genomics, new diagnostics, and predictive analytics with artificial intelligence, to enable early identification and intervention for individuals with cancer. Additionally, further information on how the Department will tackle lung cancer and improve outcomes for patients will be released in the National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year.