Hansard

I congratulate Clare Adamson MSP on securing this important debate and on all the work that she has done in Parliament to raise awareness of breast cancer and the wear it pink campaign.

I am pleased to speak in the debate and pay tribute to my dear friend and beloved colleague Christina McKelvie. Christina’s warmth, kindness and passion for equality drive us all. In her memory, we must push harder to raise awareness and call for more research, to ensure that no one loses their life to breast cancer.

A few months ago, I went for my first breast screening. I am not afraid to admit that I was a bit nervous and apprehensive about it. However, I did not need to be, as the wonderful Gillian at the Golden Jubilee hospital in my home town of Clydebank put me at ease from the word go and carried out the mammogram with minimal discomfort.

The procedure took less than 10 minutes, so I urge anyone who is called for the screening to go, as it can save your life. It is essential, as one woman in nine in Scotland will develop breast cancer. Screening can find breast cancer before you notice any symptoms, and you are more likely to survive if it is found early. Even if you are fit and healthy, it is important that you attend and check yourself regularly.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK. A woman is diagnosed every nine minutes and a man every day. Thanks to advances in research and treatment, almost nine women in 10 survive breast cancer for five years or more. Breast cancer survival rates have doubled in the past 50 years, and it is estimated that routine screening prevents around 1,300 deaths from breast cancer each year in the UK. According to Breast Cancer Now, in the 1990s, more than one person in seven died from breast cancer, whereas today it is one in 20. That is a positive improvement, but more needs to be done. That is why the Breast Cancer Now wear it pink initiative is important. It raises millions of pounds for life-saving breast cancer research and care.

More needs to be done to increase awareness of secondary breast cancer, for which there is currently no cure. Currently, around 1,000 women in the UK die each month as a result of secondary breast cancer. I agree with Breast Cancer Now that it is a matter of urgency that we should dramatically improve outcomes for people whose cancer has spread.

Unfortunately, there are also inequalities in relation to cancer. There are inequalities in the risk factors for breast cancer, the uptake of breast cancer screening and survival rates. Lifestyle factors increase the risk of breast cancer. Public Health Scotland is clear that each of those factors is socially patterned, with people who live in deprived areas being more at risk. Women on low incomes are less likely to go for breast cancer screening, and breast cancer survival rates are worse in women from more deprived areas, partly due to the lower uptake of breast cancer screening. Public Health Scotland advises that, for the three-year period from 2020 to 2023, women from more deprived areas were less likely to attend breast screening: 64.2 per cent from the most deprived areas compared to 82.8 per cent in the least deprived areas. I want more action on that, to ensure that everyone can receive a timely diagnosis and treatment to beat breast cancer.

My sincere thanks go to Breast Cancer Now for all its amazing work and to its local co-ordinator, Kirsteen McDonald, for taking the time to meet me. In Christina McKelvie’s memory, let us continue to work together to ensure that breast cancer no longer takes the lives of those we love.