Health Secretary Wes Streeting is refusing to honour a Government pledge to fund research into a common yet hard-to-treat form of breast cancer, MPs and campaigners claim.
Lobular breast cancer affects nearly 10,000 women in the UK every year, and experts say that there is a lack of drugs to treat the disease.
Last year, then Health Secretary Victoria Atkins promised to commit £20 million to a five-year research project into lobular breast cancer treatments.
The scheme, known as the Lobular Moon Shot Project, has received the backing of 330 MPs – more than half in the House of Commons. However, Mr Streeting has failed to say whether he will provide the necessary funds.
This newspaper understands the Health Secretary has not responded to MPs’ letters asking whether the money will be made available to researchers.
Joining campaigners in the call for funding is Tory MP Helen Grant, who was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in 2023.
‘We urgently need more research, better diagnostic tools and targeted treatments,’ says the MP for Maidstone and Malling. ‘Victoria Atkins, during her time as Health Secretary, committed to this vital funding and I strongly urge Wes Streeting to do the same.’
This newspaper understands the Health Secretary has not responded to MPs’ letters asking whether the money will be made available to researchers
BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire, 56, was diagnosed with the disease in 2015 after researching what causes an inverted nipple
Last year, then Health Secretary Victoria Atkins promised to commit £20 million to a five-year research project into lobular breast cancer treatments
Lobular breast cancer is the second most common form of the disease. The tumours begin in the milk-producing glands and grow in a ‘spider’s web’ pattern.
This makes it harder to spot and more likely to be diagnosed later than the main form of breast cancer. Symptoms can include an inverted nipple, breast tissue thickening, a tugging sensation or a dent in the breast.
BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire, 56, was diagnosed with the disease in 2015 after researching what causes an inverted nipple.
Lobular is currently treated via chemotherapy, surgery and drugs to reduce the level of the female sex-hormone oestrogen – which cancer cells need to grow.
Yet for reasons still unknown to researchers, at least a fifth of lobular breast cancer cases return years later – often more than a decade after patients have been given the all-clear. When this happens the cancer becomes even harder to treat, raising the risk of death.
Scientists at the Manchester Breast Centre, where the Lobular Moon Shot Project would take place, say one aim is to find a drug to cut the chances of lobular breast cancer returning.
Professor Rob Clarke, a breast biology expert at the centre, said: ‘With this funding, we could potentially develop a drug and begin testing it on patients within the next five years.’
Campaigners argue that funding this research will not only save lives but also reduce costs on the NHS.
‘The £20 million we are looking for is less than £240 per person who will be diagnosed with the disease in the UK alone in the next ten years,’ says Dr Susan Michaelis, founder of the Lobular Moon Shot Project.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said last night: ‘We encourage applications for research funding through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and we will meet the Lobular Moon Shot Project next month.’
