Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Lobular Breast Cancer — [Valerie Vaz in the Chair]

10 December 2024 · 12 other contributors · 10,704 words

Opened by Helen Hayes Lab Dulwich and West Norwood

Responding minister: Karin Smyth

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Helen Hayes raised concerns about lobular breast cancer — [valerie vaz in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Heather Cripps was diagnosed with stage 4 invasive lobular breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially treated as a musculoskeletal issue.
  • Lobular breast cancer accounts for 15% of all breast cancers in the UK, with 22 women diagnosed daily.
  • The Manchester Breast Centre proposes 20 million over five years for Lobular Moon Shot funding to understand the pathology of lobular cancer.

Key requests to Government

The Minister is asked to investigate why there are few targeted programmes for diagnosing, researching and treating lobular breast cancer; ensure it remains a priority in the Government's women's health strategy; address lack of information on mammograms for non-lump changes; educate primary care doctors on symptoms; establish specific follow-up pathways for lobular patients; support Manchester Breast Centre's £20 million Lobular Moon Shot funding proposal.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Helen Hayes Lab Dulwich and West Norwood

Heather Cripps was diagnosed with stage 4 invasive lobular breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially treated as a musculoskeletal issue before her back pain worsened. Lobular breast cancer accounts for 15% of all breast cancers in the UK, with 22 women diagnosed daily. It does not cause lumps and is often invisible on mammograms, leading to late diagnosis which impacts survival rates negatively. Dr Susan Michaelis's experience highlights that lobular breast cancer has no specific treatments. The Manchester Breast Centre proposes £20 million over five years for Lobular Moon Shot funding to understand the pathology of lobular cancer.

Other contributors (12)
  • Carla Lockhart DUP Upper Bann

    Ms Lockhart expressed support for the debate, commending the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood and her family for their bravery in facing cancer. She agreed that more investment, research, and clinical trials are needed across the UK.

  • Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham

    Mr Jones expressed gratitude towards Dr Susan Michaelis and the Lobular Moon Shot Project, highlighting the need for improving cancer research in the UK. He pointed out that funding is a significant barrier but also highlighted other challenges such as pressures on the health service acting as barriers to research. Mr Jones urged the Government to develop their national cancer plan by considering Cancer Research UK's comprehensive report titled 'Leading on Cancer'. The report addresses workforce planning, physical and digital infrastructure, long-term planning for innovations, and training and equipment support.

  • Daniel Francis Lab Bexleyheath and Crayford

    Mr Francis shared a personal account of his wife's diagnosis with cancer, emphasizing the disparity in health outcomes for patients diagnosed with lobular breast cancer. He paid tribute to Emma, a constituent who was recently diagnosed with lobular breast cancer after an MRI revealed it at stage 3 instead of stage 2 as initially thought. Mr Francis stressed that there is currently only one trial available in the UK for lobular breast cancer patients and urged for more regular MRIs and better data collection on outcomes and recurrences.

  • Helen Grant Con Maidstone and Malling

    Congratulates the hon. Lady on securing the debate, emphasizing the need for specific funding, research, and treatment for lobular breast cancer, drawing from her own experience of being diagnosed with it.

  • Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire

    Ms Morgan thanked the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood for bringing the debate, highlighting the importance of the Lobular Moon Shot Project. She noted that 22 people a day in the UK are diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer and emphasised the need for early detection and treatment, stating it would be beneficial to patients and taxpayers alike. She also raised concerns about waiting times for scans and MRI results and urged the Government to address shortages of radiologists and machinery needed to meet 62-day waiting-time targets.

  • Ian Levy

    Welcomed the debate and highlighted the need for better means of diagnosis and treatment for lobular breast cancer.

  • Jessica Brown-Fuller Lib Dem Chichester

    The risk of all breast cancers in women is reduced by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding, but the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the western world: only 1% of children are still exclusively breastfed at six months.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the hon. Lady for bringing forward a personal story about lobular breast cancer, emphasizing its impact and importance. Discussed the importance of raising awareness about lobular breast cancer and highlighted the need for more research. Cited statistics from Northern Ireland, including a 156.7 cases per 100,000 females incidence rate and one in eight odds of developing female breast cancer before age 85. Emphasized the unique challenges posed by ILC's undetectable nature and its spread in straight lines.

  • John Milne Lib Dem Horsham

    He thanked the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood for raising the issue of lobular breast cancer, noting that it affects 15% of breast cancer sufferers with poorer survival rates if not diagnosed early. He highlighted Dr Susan Michaelis's campaign in his constituency to raise awareness about tailored treatments and research needs for invasive lobular cancer (ILC), citing an estimated £20 million required by the Lobular Moon Shot Project for significant progress.

  • Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth

    Praised the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood for her powerful speech, highlighted the importance of personal advocacy in healthcare discussions, thanked MPs sharing their experiences, commended Dr Susan Michaelis's work on breast cancer awareness, emphasized the significance of access to advanced medical equipment like MRI scanners, encouraged regular breast checks and highlighted the importance of understanding lobular vs. ductal cancer. He also called for updated national guidelines from NICE and support for charities affected by national insurance changes. I want to draw the Minister's attention to the point about guidelines. Will she consider speaking to the devolved nations and, in England, to NICE, about guidance on lobular breast cancer?

  • Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

    Expresses gratitude for timely treatment for her breast cancer, stressing the need to address inequalities in research and treatment for lobular breast cancer.

  • Melanie Ward Lab Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy

    Raises the case of her constituent who was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer despite mammogram results not detecting it. She agrees that more research and better diagnosis are needed.

Government Response

Karin Smyth

It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I add my thanks to all hon. Members for their contributions and to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes). First let me say how sorry I am to hear about her friend. Those are very precious friendships and I think my hon. Friend articulated that well today. My deepest sympathies to Heather's loved ones who are with us today and to her wider family group. It is a really difficult time and this is a very recent bereavement to be talking about. My hon. Friend has used her voice as a parliamentarian to good effect, as she always does, and I congratulate her on doing that. I hope I can go some way to answering the questions she raised at the end of her speech. If I do not and she is not satisfied, I will make sure officials get back to her on the specifics. We know that too many cancer patients are being failed. They are waiting too long for life-saving treatments and receiving a diagnosis too late. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister reiterated last week, we have inherited a broken NHS but it is not beyond repair. We know it needs to be fixed and there is not a single solution. To ensure that more people survive cancer, including lobular breast cancer, we have to take a multi-pronged approach—catching it earlier so more treatments are available, raising awareness of its specific symptoms, and investing in equipment and research, as many hon. Members have raised today. According to Cancer Research UK, lobular breast cancer is the second most common type of breast cancer, impacting around 15 out of every 100 breast cancers. Treatments for lobular breast cancer are broadly similar to those for other breast cancers but can be more challenging when the cancer has spread or developed in different ways. NHS England funded an audit into primary and metastatic breast cancer that began in October 2022, with results published in September this year. The take-up of breast cancer screening is currently below 70%, which is worryingly low, but we are determined to improve it. Every effort made by hon. Members and people listening to the debate can help save lives. My Department has invested £1.3 million in a Bristol-based FAST MRI project focusing on an abbreviated MRI that can help detect aggressive forms of breast cancer missed by screening through mammography, including lobular breast cancer. Additionally, we spend £125 million each year on cancer research combined with the Medical Research Council and UK Research and Innovation. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), my Department encourages applications for new research in this area. The Lobular Moon Shot Project has already contracted £29 million to the Institute of Cancer Research and its partner at the Royal Marsden, focusing on lobular breast cancer. To improve outcomes for all tumour types, including lobular breast cancer, we are now in discussions about what form a national cancer plan should take. We have launched the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth to shape the 10-year plan and encourage suggestions from hon. Members on how to prevent cancer where possible. Improving cancer survival requires a multi-pronged approach, ensuring that patients have timely access to effective treatments built on world-class research. We have committed to surgical hubs, scanners for an additional 30,000 procedures each year and £70 million for radiotherapy machines.

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