Informing Women of Dense Breasts After NHS Screening
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Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
6 March 2026
Dear Secretary of State,
Re: Informing Women of Dense Breasts After NHS Screening
As MPs representing constituents affected by breast cancer and breast cancer screening, we
are writing to request urgent action in relation to the UK National Routine Breast Screening
Programme.
Dense breast tissue is present in around 40% of women undergoing mammography.
Standardised terminology to describe breast density has been in use for over 30 years, based on
radiologists’ visual assessment and computer software.
On a mammogram, dense tissue appears white or light grey, like many cancerous tumours. As a
result, cancers can often be missed in women with dense breast tissue. In the UK, it is
estimated that among women attending regular screening, approximately 3,500 breast
cancers each year are not detected because of breast density.
In addition to obscuring cancers, breast density is also associated with an increased risk of
developing breast cancer. These “hidden” cancers may continue to grow unnoticed and are
often diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment options are more limited and outcomes are
poorer. Additional imaging, such as MRI, contrast-enhanced mammography, or ultrasound,
improves the detection of cancers not visible on standard mammography.However, women attending routine NHS breast screening are not informed if they have
dense breasts, nor are they routinely offered additional imaging. In the United States, federal
law since 2024 requires that all women be notified following a mammogram whether their
breasts are classified as “dense” or “not dense”.
International breast experts understand that research and trials to aid early detection can take
years to translate into practice. Cancer does not wait.
Women in the UK deserve access to potentially life-saving information. Being informed of their
breast density empowers women to have meaningful conversations with their clinicians about
risk, to consider appropriate follow-up imaging and, importantly, to remain vigilant about their
breast health.
Many UK breast cancer experts, including breast surgeons, recognise this issue and are
increasingly encouraging women to contact their Members of Parliament to call for change.
We therefore request that you support the Dense Breast Inform campaign and consider
policy changes to ensure women are informed about breast density following screening.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Barron MP
Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire
Labour
Steve Yemm MP
Member of Parliament for Mansfield
Labour
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central
Labour
Adrian Ramsay MP
Member of Parliament for Waveney Valley
Green Party
Alison Hume MP
Member of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby
Labour
Allison Gardner MP
Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South
LabourAmanda Hack MP
Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire
Labour
Andy McDonald MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Labour
Anneliese Midgley MP
Member of Parliament for Knowsley
Labour
Ayoub Khan MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr
Independent
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill
Labour
Brian Leishman MP
Member of Parliament for Alloa and Grangemouth
Labour
Carla Denyer MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol Central
Green Party
Cat Eccles MP
Member of Parliament for Stourbridge
Labour
Chris Webb MP
Member of Parliament for Blackpool South
Labour
Clive Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Wokingham
Liberal Democrat
Clive Lewis MP
Member of Parliament for Norwich South
Labour
Colum Eastwood MP
Member of Parliament for Foyle
Social Democratic and Labour PartyDaisy Cooper MP
Member of Parliament for St Albans
Liberal Democrat
Daniel Francis MP
Member of Parliament for Bexleyheath and Crayford
Labour
David Baines MP
Member of Parliament for St Helens North
Labour
Elaine Stewart MP
Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Labour
Ellie Chowns MP
Member of Parliament for North Herefordshire
Green Party
Graeme Downie MP
Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and Dollar
Labour
Grahame Morris MP
Member of Parliament for Easington
Labour
Henry Tufnell MP
Member of Parliament for Mid and South Pembrokeshire
Labour
Ian Byrne MP
Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
Labour
Ian Lavery MP
Member of Parliament for Blyth and Ashington
Labour
Jess Asato MP
Member of Parliament for Lowestoft
Labour
Jim Dickson MP
Member of Parliament for Dartford
LabourJim Shannon MP
Member of Parliament for Strangford
Democratic Unionist Party
Jo White MP
Member of Parliament for Bassetlaw
Labour
John McDonnell MP
Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
Labour
John Milne MP
Member of Parliament for Horsham
Liberal Democrat
Josh Newbury MP
Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase
Labour
Kirsteen Sullivan MP
Member of Parliament for Bathgate and Linlithgow
Labour and Co-operative
Lee Dillon MP
Member of Parliament for Newbury
Liberal Democrat
Lorraine Beavers MP
Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Labour
Luke Myer MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Labour
Manuela Perteghella MP
Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon
Liberal Democrat
Matt Turmaine MP
Member of Parliament for Watford
Labour
Michael Wheeler MP
Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles
LabourMichelle Scrogham MP
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness
Labour
Michelle Welsh MP
Member of Parliament for Sherwood Forest
Labour
Mike Reader MP
Member of Parliament for Northampton South
Labour
Mohammad Yasin MP
Member of Parliament for Bedford
Labour
Nadia Whittome MP
Member of Parliament for Nottingham East
Labour
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Member of Parliament for Poole
Labour
Olivia Blake MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam
Labour
Patricia Ferguson MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow West
Labour
Paul Davies MP
Member of Parliament for Colne Valley
Labour
Paula Barker MP
Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree
Labour
Polly Billington MP
Member of Parliament for East Thanet
Labour
Rachael Maskell MP
Member of Parliament for York Central
Labour and Co-operativeRachel Taylor MP
Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Labour
Richard Quigley MP
Member of Parliament for Isle of Wight West
Labour
Ruth Cadbury MP
Member of Parliament for Brentford and Isleworth
Labour
Scott Arthur MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West
Labour
Sean Woodcock MP
Member of Parliament for Banbury
Labour
Shockat Adam MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester South
Independent
Siân Berry MP
Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
Green Party
Stella Creasy MP
Member of Parliament for Walthamstow
Labour and Co-operative
Steve Witherden MP
Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
Labour
Tonia Antoniazzi MP
Member of Parliament for Gower
Labour
Victoria Collins MP
Member of Parliament for Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Liberal Democrat
Wera Hobhouse MP
Member of Parliament for Bath
Liberal Democrat.
