Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has been made of the effectiveness of bisphosphates in the treatment of breast cancer.

We have made no such assessment.

In its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of early and locally advanced breast cancer (CG80), published in February 2009, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that bisphosphonates should be offered to patients for the management of breast cancer treatment-induced bone loss subject to certain criteria.

NICE is currently updating this guidance and the use of adjuvant bisphosphonates is one of the key areas that will be covered in the update which is expected in July 2018.