Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges about detection of lung cancer by breath examination.

The Secretary of State has not met with any representatives from the Royal Colleges regarding the detection of lung cancer by breath examination. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the process of updating the guidelines on cancer diagnosis to ensure that these reflect latest evidence and can continue to support general practitioners to identify patients with the symptoms of suspected cancer, and urgently refer them as appropriate. NICE’s anticipated publication date for the revised guidelines is May 2015.