Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of classifying stage 4 breast cancer as very severe in relation to access to life-saving drugs.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) update the automatic breast screening programme policy for women aged 70 and above as part of his National Cancer Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is not planning a review and update of the policy on breast screening for women aged over 70 as part of the National Cancer Plan. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisor to Ministers and the National Health Service about all aspects of population and targeted screening.
The NHS breast screening programme does not automatically invite women for breast screening if they are 71 or over because there is a lack of evidence around the balance of benefit versus harm of screening women above this age. Women can still have breast screening every three years if they want to, by calling their local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
The UK NSC recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective. Work is underway within the breast screening programme to investigate the possibility of routinely screening above the currently recommended age. The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49, and one between the ages of 71 and 73. It is the biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken and will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.
Furthermore, early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the three shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services in patients’ local areas.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the provision of mobile breast cancer screening units.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government fully supports the use of mobile breast screening units where they are deemed appropriate. Mobile units support reduction of health inequalities by providing access to screening in areas where local people have difficulty accessing static screening units.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 impact of obesity on cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is evidence that adults living with obesity have a higher risk of developing several types of cancer, according to research from Cancer Research UK, which is available at the following link:
Adults living with obesity are at a higher risk of many cancer types. This increased risk arises from excess weight causing mechanical changes to our bodies and complex changes to our hormones and metabolism. More information is available at the following links:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0029-6
Data suggests that 6% of cancer cases in the United Kingdom are attributable to obesity and overweight, including: 34% of uterine cancer cases, or 3,000 out of 9,000; 24% of kidney cancer cases, or 2,900 out of 12,400; 17% of upper gastrointestinal cancer cases, or 5,600 out of 32,400; 11% of colorectal cancer cases, or 4,800 out of 41,800; and 8% of breast cancer cases, or 4,600 out of 55,100. More information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve access to new treatments for patients with secondary breast cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with breast cancer, survive.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the NHS on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on their costs and benefits. Cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of a positive NICE recommendation. Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed, including treatments for secondary breast cancer such as Truqap and Korserdu, which are now available to eligible NHS patients.
The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 impact of excessive alcohol consumption on levels of prevalence of cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of the impact of excessive alcohol consumption on the prevalence of cancer and the preventable pressure it places on the National Health Service. In 2024, there were 103,000 hospital admissions due to alcohol-related cancers.
Alcohol has been identified as a causal factor in more than 200 medical conditions, including mouth, throat, stomach, liver, and breast cancers. The Government is committed to reversing the trend on alcohol-specific deaths and to shortening the amount of time people spend in ill-health due to alcohol-related harm.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase access to specialist breast cancer nurses for patients with secondary breast cancer in West Dorset.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care will publish a refreshed Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service it will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. The Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including breast cancer nurses in West Dorset, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.
NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development and education for nurses, allied health professionals and support workforce working in cancer care. This is also beneficial for the training and development of specialist nurses working in breast cancer care.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to engage with the pharmaceutical industry on price negotiations relating to Enhertu; and if he will take steps to help ensure that Enhertu becomes an (a) affordable and (b) accessible treatment option for patients with HER-2 low (i) metastatic and (ii) unresectable breast cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS in England are made on the basis of recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) following an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.
NICE has been able to recommend Enhertu in advanced breast cancer for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after one or more anti-HER2 treatments, and for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after two or more anti-HER2 therapies.
On 29 July 2024, NICE published final guidance on Enhertu for use in the treatment of HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, and it was unable to recommend this life-extending treatment. The only obstacle to access for NHS patients to Enhertu is price, and the Secretary of State met the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, to encourage them to re-enter discussions with NHS England with a view to reaching a price at which NICE would be able to recommend Enhertu. However, despite NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibility, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. NICE’s guidance will therefore remain unchanged, however, the door remains open for the companies to enter into a new NICE appraisal if they are willing to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price.
Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the severity modifier by NICE in 2022 on the provision of life-extending treatment to those with incurable secondary breast cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been monitoring the impact of the severity modifier since it was implemented in 2022. Data up to March 2025 shows that the proportion of positive cancer recommendations is higher with the severity modifier (85%) than with the end-of-life modifier it replaced (75%). The proportion of positive recommendations for advanced cancer treatments is also higher with the severity modifier (81% compared to 69% with the end-of-life modifier).
Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed. This includes treatments for advanced breast cancer (such as Truqap and Korserdu), which are now available to eligible NHS patients.
The severity modifier is therefore working as intended and there are currently no plans to adjust or change it in the near future. However, NICE has commissioned research on people’s attitudes to how the severity modifier should be applied that will inform future reviews of NICE’s methods.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) NICE and (b) NHS England on the (i) availability of and (ii) access to new treatments for patients with secondary breast cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and Department officials have regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England on a range of issues including access to new treatments.
NICE makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for secondary breast cancer, should be routinely funded by the NHS. NHS England funds all NICE-recommended treatments for breast cancer with the funding available from the point of a positive draft NICE decision. Since 2018, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed, including treatments for advanced breast cancer, such as Truqap and Korserdu, which are now available to eligible NHS patients. NICE recommended treatments are available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.