Hansard

I am wearing my secondary cancer pin this evening to mark the particular circumstances of those who are diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. It is a group of people who are too often unseen, living with secondary, or metastatic, breast cancer.

Secondary breast cancer occurs when the cancer cells spread from the breast to other parts of the body. It can develop months, or even years, after an initial diagnosis. Although it is currently incurable, it is treatable, and with the right care, people can live well for longer. It is estimated that 4,202 people in Scotland were living with the condition at the end of 2023.

However, we count only those whose first diagnosis was metastatic; the figure does not include people whose cancer returned after a primary diagnosis. That means many people who are living with the disease are not fully captured in the data sets. We live in a world of data now. Artificial intelligence is taking over the whole planet, and our health services have to do better at collecting the data that is important for scientific research in order to improve the lives of people with breast cancer and secondary breast cancer.

Having the data is essential, as it helps to ensure that people have access to the treatment, support and specialist care that they need. Without that data, we cannot fully understand the impact of secondary breast cancer, or why and how it happens, plan services effectively or ensure access to innovative treatments—as Emma Harper mentioned—that rely on genomic testing.

Around 1,000 people in Scotland die from breast cancer each year, almost all of them from secondary breast cancer. The impact reaches far beyond the individual, touching families, friends and communities. I hope that members do not mind me saying that I am just off the phone to my sister, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and who was attending the hospital with the thought that she might have had a secondary breast cancer. Fortunately for our family and for her, that was not the case.

I also want to speak about a person who is close to all our hearts: Christina McKelvie, who was a friend and a passionate advocate for women’s health, for fairness and for dignity in care. She worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of those who are often overlooked were brought to the forefront in the Parliament. We miss her deeply, and we miss her compassion, energy and unwavering belief in a Scotland where no one should be left behind.

I am very honoured to have taken up the mantle of hosting the wear it pink event in the Parliament on behalf of Breast Cancer Now. It was at that event this year that I was able to talk to several women who were living with secondary breast cancer, and I heard their plea that more needs to be done to understand and support those who are living with the condition in Scotland. Along with better data, access to the right treatments is critical. Genomic testing can determine eligibility for new targeted therapies, helping to slow disease progression and improve quality of life. Expanding access to those tests across Scotland will ensure that patients can benefit from the treatments that are best suited to them.

People who are living with secondary breast cancer and their families deserve to be seen, counted and supported. Accurate data, timely access to treatments and specialist care are all essential in achieving that. We have to work together to improve the situation, in particular with regard to data collection and consistency across health boards.

I pay tribute to everyone who is in the public gallery, whose voices have been heard today—it is so brave and important that you have come to speak to us, and I thank you very much for doing so.