Media Statement
Responding to the news, Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“We’re delighted by today’s news of a Secondary Breast Cancer audit being introduced in Northern Ireland, and the commitment this demonstrates to improving the lives of people living with this devastating, incurable disease.
“Latest estimates reveal that over 61,000 people are living with secondary breast cancer in the UK, and this audit will provide much-needed insight and a better understanding of the reality and scale of these patient’s needs in Northern Ireland.
“We’ve been calling for audits of secondary breast cancer to be implemented right across the UK, so are delighted to hear that patients in Northern Ireland now stand to benefit too from this new audit, funded by charity Cancer Focus NI. What’s key is that its findings are acted on, so that these patients receive the treatment, care and support they need to live well for as long as possible.
“Following the introduction of secondary breast cancer audits in England and Wales, and today’s news that Northern Ireland too will introduce one, the opportunity presented by the upcoming Scottish Cancer Strategy, for the Scottish government to commit to a secondary breast cancer audit, must now be seized, so that all secondary breast patients receive the best possible treatment, care and support no matter where in the UK they live.”