Nicola Richards MP: Please speak to loved ones about breast cancer screening before it is too late

When I ran the race for life in aid of Cancer Research UK in 2016, I heard from a breast cancer survivor that a sign of breast cancer could be just a small dimple. I mentioned this to my mum which led to her getting a dimple of her own checked out, and in turn to her diagnosis of breast cancer.

Thankfully, she caught her cancer in its early stages. Just like nearly 100% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at stage one, she had over five more years of time to spend with her family. But the number of women who survive cancer for that long drops substantially the later the cancer is caught. Only 25 per cent of women who are diagnosed at stage four survive their cancer for five years or more.

Some women may not have a dimple to warn them of their cancer which is why attending screening appointments when invited to is so important.

Today, along with countless others around the country, I’m wearing pink to support Breast Cancer Now, a leading breast cancer charity in the UK. With the money they raise through initiatives like Wear It Pink, they fund around 80 cutting edge research projects, mostly in the UK, to the tune of over £27 million.

We have been working together to raise awareness of the importance of breast cancer screening and to ensure that screening reaches those who are most at risk of developing breast cancer.

As well as helping to raise money for a very worthy cause, we’re calling on all women who have been asked to make a screening appointment to do so today.

Making that appointment could save your life.

Sadly, the take-up statistics for breast screening in our area makes for dire reading. Less than half of all women in the West Midlands attended a breast screening when invited, much less than the average in England of 62 per cent.

It’s even lower for women invited for their first screening, with just 43 per cent of women in the region attending. These statistics are worrying, especially because women who don’t attend their first screening are less likely to ever go in the future.

There are even more concerning issues when you consider that women from ethnic minorities are disproportionately less likely to attend their screening, or self-check at home. Research by Estée Lauder has found that self-checking rates are lowest amongst South Asian and black women, extending to up to three quarters of black women who aren’t regularly self-checking.

This is contributing to the tragic health inequalities we see in our region and across the country, and given over 37 per cent of my constituency identifies as having an Asian or black background, it is a particular problem for us in West Bromwich.

As things stand, around 1,300 deaths per year are prevented by the national screening programme in England. If all women attended their appointment, this figure would grow even further. Every single survivor, whether a mother, daughter, sister or aunt, can live longer than if they shied away from attending a screening appointment.

I can’t put it any clearer than this. Not getting screened is gambling with your life chances.

Therefore, I need your help. If you’ve been asked to make an appointment, do it now. Speak to loved ones who are aged 50 and over and let them know just how important it is they don’t miss their screening appointments.

Women shouldn’t be afraid of getting diagnosed. Treatment has come so far in recent years and the vast majority of people diagnosed early survive their cancer for over five years.

Every single woman who attends a screening helps us to saves lives. Every single person who encourages a loved one to attend a screening helps us to saves lives. And every person and speaks out on this issue and spreads the message will help us to save lives. Together, we can help make sure everyone can live a happy and healthy life, even if they are diagnosed because they can access timely, effective treatment.

Help us spread the message. Book a screening appointment today. It may just save your life.