Fife MSP backs campaign to tackle breast cancer

Meeting with the Breast Cancer Now team in the Scottish Parliament, Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley supported calls to improve access to life-extending medicines, continue to catch breast cancer earlier by protecting the Detect Cancer Early Programme, offer lifestyle advice and support to women when they attend breast screenings and helping to make more breakthroughs by freeing up clinicians’ time to take part in research.

Currently around 1,000 women a year die from breast cancer in Scotland, and through the measures proposed by Breast Cancer Now they believe that number of deaths could be stopped by 2050.

Mr Rowley said: “Everyone knows someone affected by cancer and we as a Parliament should ensure that measures are always taken to improve the outcomes of those diagnosed with the disease.

“As well as battling cancer, people often have to battle for the drugs that can help fight the condition, we must ensure that they have the access to life-extending medicines they need.

“I am proud to support the calls by Breast Cancer Now and their #2050Challenge and look forward with hope to the day that women no longer die from breast cancer.”

Mary Allison, Breast Cancer Now’s Director for Scotland, said: “I’d like to thank Alex Rowley MSP for his commitment to help stop women dying from breast cancer by 2050. The reality is that in the next ten years nearly 10,000 women in Scotland could die from breast cancer; that’s 10,000 mothers, grandmothers, daughters or friends.

“However, today we have made significant steps towards our vision that – if we all act now – by 2050 everyone who develops breast cancer will live.”