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Breast Cancer

Asked by Lorraine BeaversLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 3 March 2026UIN 114644

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February to Question 110590 on Breast Cancer: Screening, whether the National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry will include women assessed as being at moderate or high risk of breast cancer who do not have an identified genetic mutation.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock

The National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry already includes some women who do not have an identified genetic mutation. National cancer registration data collects high-quality data in the National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry on women at very high risk of breast cancer according to The Surveillance of women at very high risk of developing breast cancer guidelines, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breast-screening-higher-risk-women-surveillance-protocols/protocols-for-surveillance-of-women-at-higher-risk-of-developing-breast-cancer

As well as women at high risk of breast cancer who have an identified genetic mutation, the registry collects data on ‘risk-equivalent’ women who have a strong family history of breast cancer, but who have not undertaken a definitive genetic test and therefore do not have an identified genetic mutation. Their eligibility criteria can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breast-screening-higher-risk-women-surveillance-protocols/tests-and-frequency-of-testing-for-women-at-very-high-risk--2#women-who-are-risk-equivalent-but-genetic-cause-not-identified

Women from the breast cancer after radiotherapy dataset, or BARD, are also included. These women have received radiotherapy to the chest area involving breast tissue for the treatment of lymphoma between the ages of 10 and 35 years old. They are identified by linking national cancer registration data to the national Radiotherapy Dataset within National Disease Registration Service, as both are nationally mandated datasets.

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