Found: For example, with early breast cancer diagnoses, I think women are 66% less likely to die from the

Found: which was done for the most recent revision of the CMO’s guidelines.(9) For example, the risk of breast

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will meet with the Lobular Moon Shot Project to discuss lobular breast cancer research.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

I have recently met with the Lobular Moon Shoot Project to discuss how government can support lobular breast cancer research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) the breast cancer monitoring device and (b) other innovative medical devices on (i) early cancer detection rates and (ii) patient outcomes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not yet assessed the potential impact of breast cancer monitoring devices. This technology is at an early stage and further evidence is needed before we can assess whether it could be trialled in medical settings.

Improving the early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancers, is a priority for the National Health Service. NHS England has an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage one or two by 2028, which will help tens of thousands of people live for longer. NHS England is working to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme, to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.

In January 2022 the Department provided £10 million of funding for 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 life-saving upgrades to services in the areas where they are most needed, so more women can be checked for signs of cancer, speeding up diagnosis and treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of breast cancer monitoring devices on global health outcomes.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not yet assessed the potential impact of breast cancer monitoring devices. This technology is at an early stage and further evidence is needed before we can assess whether it could be trialled in medical settings.

Improving the early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancers, is a priority for the National Health Service. NHS England has an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage one or two by 2028, which will help tens of thousands of people live for longer. NHS England is working to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme, to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.

In January 2022 the Department provided £10 million of funding for 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 life-saving upgrades to services in the areas where they are most needed, so more women can be checked for signs of cancer, speeding up diagnosis and treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to not recommend trastuzumab deruxtecan for HER2-low secondary breast cancer for use on NHS on the life expectancy of eligible women.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published final guidance on the use of trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) for the treatment of metastatic HER2-low breast cancer. The NICE published final draft guidance on 5 March 2024, that does not recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. Stakeholders had until 19 March 2024 to lodge an appeal against the NICE’s recommendations. The NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on 3 April 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her Department's planned timetable is for its evaluation of the merits of using (a) 3D mammography and (b) other new cancer screening technologies.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is aware of research into the use of three-dimensional (3D) mammography and the growing interest to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the National Health Service breast screening programme. Guidance has been published on GOV.UK on the use of Tomosynthesis 3D imaging in a clinical trial setting as part of the NHS breast screening programme.

The UK NSC had also worked with Health Technology Assessments to design an evaluation of existing AI in a prospective study to look at whether it could be used to read breast screening mammograms.

There are currently no plans to adopt these technologies, but evidence to inform a UK NSC decision on the use of 3D mammography and AI in the NHS breast screening programme will be reviewed by the Committee when available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has plans to deliver a national awareness campaign on breast cancer screening.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is currently exploring opportunities for national campaigns to support positive outcomes on women’s health. Work is underway to scope the feasibility of running a national campaign to support breast screening uptake, and this will be informed by pilot activity due to run in London in 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) 3D mammography and (b) other new screening technologies to support the early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is aware of research into the use of three-dimensional (3D) mammography and the growing interest to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the National Health Service breast screening programme. Guidance has been published on GOV.UK on the use of Tomosynthesis 3D imaging in a clinical trial setting as part of the NHS breast screening programme.

The UK NSC had also worked with Health Technology Assessments to design an evaluation of existing AI in a prospective study to look at whether it could be used to read breast screening mammograms.

There are currently no plans to adopt these technologies, but evidence to inform a UK NSC decision on the use of 3D mammography and AI in the NHS breast screening programme will be reviewed by the Committee when available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the Government's major conditions strategy with specific reference to breast cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the development of the Major Conditions Strategy, we are considering how we improve outcomes for people in this country living with multiple conditions. Aligning work across several groups of conditions including cancer for this strategy, will allow us to focus on where there are similarities in approach and ensure care is better centred around the patient, maximising existing resources both within patient pathways and in integrating between pathways.

Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for the Government. The National Health Service has an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028, which will help tens of thousands of people live for longer. We know that breast cancer remains the most common cancer in England, with over 49,000 people being diagnosed each year. Thanks to advances in screening, treatment, and care, alongside NHS awareness campaigns, more women are surviving the disease than ever before.

The NHS Cancer Programme has also commissioned five new cancer clinical audits, including primary and metastatic breast cancers. These will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, will increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for which the NHS missed its target of 70% of invited women to be screened for breast cancer in 2022-23.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving uptake in the NHS Breast Screening Programme. NHS England has commissioned evaluative projects to look at ways to improve uptake, and to understand why women may not attend breast screening. These include: actively following up with women who have missed an appointment or not engaged with the service; looking at the reasons why women do not attend screenings, to address any barriers; and assessing the impact on screening uptake using different invitation methodologies with reference to factors such as age, previous screening history, including attendance at first invitation and subsequent invites, and deprivation. These projects are expected to report by April 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in (a) England and (b) Norwich.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has invested £10 million of funding for the breast screening programme, which provided 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 upgrades, to be targeted at areas with the greatest challenges of uptake and coverage. NHS England has developed a national plan in collaboration with key stakeholders, to improve uptake within the breast screening programme.

In the East of England, NHS England will work with the Breast Screening Service and the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board to undertake a gap analysis and prioritise actions, and to look at options to increase its resilience by working with other local providers as a network.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) a risk assessment and (b) a breast density assessment during a women's first breast cancer screening appointment.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) plans to review the evidence for risk stratification in breast screening, to tailor it more closely to an individual’s risk of cancer, rather than the current population-based approach.

In 2019, the UK NSC reviewed the benefit of additional screening with ultrasound after a negative mammography screening, for women with dense breasts. The Committee concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend additional ultrasound screening at that time.

The Breast Screening Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density trial is looking into the use of supplementary imaging techniques for women within the standard breast screening programme, who are found to have radiographically dense breast tissue. The UK NSC will review this evidence when it becomes available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) lowering the breast cancer screening age to 40 and (b) including a breast cancer risk assessment in the first appointment.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) currently recommends that all women aged 50 years old to 71 years old are invited for breast screening every three years. A trial, AgeX is looking at the impact of increasing or decreasing, or both, the screening age for the breast screening programme. When the results from this trial are available, the UK NSC will review the findings. The UK NSC plans to review the evidence for risk stratification in breast screening to tailor it more closely to an individual’s risk of cancer, rather than the current population-based approach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to encourage the England-wide roll-out of the drug Enhertu to aid the treatment of people with breast cancer.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.

The NICE published guidance in 2021 and 2023 recommending Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) for the treatment of NHS patients with HER2-positive breast cancer through the Cancer Drugs Fund, and it is now available to eligible NHS patients in line with the NICE’s recommendations.

The NICE is currently evaluating Enhertu for the treatment of metastatic HER2-low breast cancer, and published final draft guidance on 5 March 2024 that does not recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. Stakeholders have until 19 March 2024 to lodge an appeal against the NICE’s recommendations. The NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on 3 April 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 1 February (HL1933), what progress they have made on reducing variation in breast screening services since 2019.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Breast Screening Programmes were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and some breast screening offices took the decision to pause services temporarily to support the pandemic response. All breast cancer screening services have now recovered from the pandemic, and have no backlog of people waiting to be screened.

Increasing uptake and reducing health inequalities remains paramount as part of the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan to directly support early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Regional commissioners are working closely with cancer alliances and cancer charities to develop uptake plans which address their specific populations needs.

The current age of breast cancer screening for women is 50-70 year olds however research suggests there has been a rise in breast cancer in younger ages. I think it would be great if we offered screening to 28-70 year olds, to catch this disease at a much earlier stage.

Found: I am almost 29 years old and have a very aggressive form of breast cancer that has now spread to my lymph

Found: Lung cancer – 1.8 million new patients/year, Breast cancer - ~ 2.1 million new patients/year)

Found: secured (from external sources) PharosAICentred around the King’s Health Partners Cancer Biobank and Breast

Found: You noted that you had breast cancer in 2020 and have spoken publicly about cancer support.

Found: Agile, responsive regulation helps early breast cancer patients to benefit from a study to potentially

Found: non-genotoxic anticancer treatment being used in a patient population with longer term survival (breast

Found: Open Access Journal Article http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00193-017-0727-7 Multiplex imaging of live breast