Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the difference in funding levels is for research into (a) lobular and (b) ductal breast cancer.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department of Health and Social Care invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

The level of funding for research generally depends on funding applications received. The NIHR continues to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular cancer and ductal breast cancer.

The Department of Health and Social Care has invested £29 million into the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NIHR Biological Research Centre from 2022 to 2027, supporting their research on cancer and lobular breast cancer. This is complemented by wider investments into breast cancer research including, for example, a £1.3 million project to determine whether an abbreviated form of breast magnetic resonance imaging can detect breast cancers missed by screening through mammography, again including lobular breast cancer.

Current NIHR funded research into breast cancer covers aspects of prevention, detection, treatment and follow-up care, which are relevant to both lobular and ductal breast cancer. Of 29 currently active studies, totalling £49.54m in funded awards, there is currently one active study designed to look at the impact of screening on ductal breast cancer diagnosis and treatment specifically.

On 4 February 2025, the Department announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health (EDITH) trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the NIHR.

The Department of Health and Social Care recognises that further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and disease processes of cancer, including lobular and ductal breast cancer, to unlock pathways for developing new treatments. This type of discovery research is supported by the Medical Research Council, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, via UK Research and Innovation, though funding decisions are made independently from Government.