Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) collected and (b) publish data on people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the upcoming NHS cancer plan.

The Department recognises the importance of robust and timely data on people diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer to support service planning and improve outcomes.

Work is already under way. NHS England commissioned clinical audits on metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. The National Audit of Metastatic (Secondary) Breast Cancer (NAoMe) results are based on data about people in England and Wales diagnosed and treated for metastatic breast cancer between January 2020 and December 2022. The Department and NHS England are now acting on the audit’s findings.

The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in early 2026. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. The Department is working closely with NHS England and cancer registration and audit bodies to ensure that data on secondary breast cancer continues to be collected, analysed and, where appropriate, made publicly available in line with national data standards.