Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the impact of breast density on the reliability of mammogram screening for breast cancer; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that women with high breast density receive appropriate (a) information and (b) access to supplementary screening methods.

The Government is guided by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. It is only where the UK NSC is confident that to screen would provide more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended, as all medical interventions carry an inherent risk.

A review by the UK NSC of the evidence in 2019 of supplementary ultrasound for women with dense breasts and negative mammograms showed insufficient evidence to balance the risks, benefits, and costs. In the field, there are concerns that undertaking notification of increased density without provision of any modification of screening may increase inequity and capacity issues, as well as leading to increased anxiety and confusion.

The UK NSC is considering the best approach for women with dense breast tissue. It reviewed the evidence relating to the provision of additional breast screening for women who have dense breast tissue and invited stakeholders’ feedback on the findings to inform future work. The consultation closed in August 2025. Further work is needed to understand the clinical impact and costs of adding breast density to the screening pathways in the United Kingdom.

In the meantime, the Breast Screening Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density (BRAID) 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 different tests include magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. The UK NSC is in contact with the researchers and is reviewing this evidence as it becomes available. It will make recommendations to ministers in light of this.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme advises all women, as part of its literature, that cancer may be missed and that breast symptoms should be reported even if they have recently had a negative screening mammogram.