Breast Cancer: Screening
Question
Mrs Sharon Hodgson
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of the NHS conducting enhanced surveillance breast cancer screening for women at moderate and high risk.
Answer
Neil O'BrienWomen who have been identified as being at very high risk of breast cancer are screened as part of the National Health Service breast screening programme.
Last year, the remit of The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) was expanded to include targeted and risk-stratified screening as well as population screening. Targeted screening could include women at moderate and high risk of breast cancer. To date the UK NSC has not made a recommendation for targeted screening of women at moderate or high risk of breast cancer but is currently considering evidence relating to use of risk stratification within the current breast screening programme.