Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 30 March (HL15661), what assessment they have made of the impact on equitable access to precision cancer treatments if non-genomic biomarker testing is not guaranteed for all patients who require it.

The National Cancer Plan commitment for all cancer patients who would benefit from a genomic test to receive one to inform treatment decisions applies specifically to genomic testing. While the Plan supports the wider use of biomarker testing, including non-genomic tests, these are being expanded and integrated across cancer pathways rather than subject to a similar universal guarantee.

The Plan commits to the wider integration of biomarker testing across cancer services to improve treatment selection and outcomes. Non-genomic biomarker tests form part of wider diagnostic pathways, alongside histopathology, imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans, and other laboratory investigations, all of which contribute to multidisciplinary team decisions on the most appropriate treatment.

Through the National Cancer Plan, more equitable access to precision cancer treatments will be supported by reducing unwarranted variation, reviewing the scope of testing, and bringing additional biomarker tests, both genomic and non-genomic, into routine use where clinically appropriate. This will be supported by national guidance and commissioning processes to ensure consistent access across the National Health Service.