Dame Rebecca Harris, Member of Parliament for Castle Point, has signed her support to the Lobular Moon Shot Project to get Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer the research funding it needs.
Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer is the second most common type of breast cancer and an estimated 3.75 million people will be diagnosed with this cancer in the next 10 years. Yet, it currently has no specific treatment and behaves very differently to the more common type of ductal breast cancer.
After meeting Victoria Atkins, the Conservative Health Secretary, it was very clear why the Lobular Moon Shot Project needed to be funded. She agreed to fund the £20 million 5-year research project to address the unmet clinical need of lobular breast cancer and ultimately save the NHS millions. This was to be part of the Conservative Government’s 2024 Women’s Health Strategy.
Since the election, however, the Project has received no indication from the current Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting that this vital research is funded and he has not responded to any letter about this. Over 260 MPs from across the House of Commons are now calling on the Government to confirm this funding.
Commenting, Rebecca said: “I am pledging my support to the Lobular Moonshot Project to improve research into lobular breast cancer. I am lobbying the Labour Government to confirm the funding planned by the Conservative Government, so that we can improve our knowledge and treatment of this disease and ultimately save lives.”
Manchester Breast Centre are ready to complete this vital research and to improve knowledge of the basic biology of lobular breast cancer so that specific and effective treatments can be developed for the disease. They just need the funding. £20 million is less than £240 per person who will be diagnosed with the disease in the next 10 years in the UK alone.
Susan Michaelis and her team of volunteers have raised over £90,000 to enable the first vital research steps to be taken. They are now seeking the £20 million investment from the Government.
Susan stated: “The first small steps that Manchester Breast Centre have taken in January are historic. MBC and their collaborative team can do this work to improve outcomes for millions of people.
Before the 2024 UK election, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins, confirmed she had agreed to fund the £20 million Lobular Moon Shot Research Project. The Project is now asking the new Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, to allocate the funding needed so this unmet clinical need can be addressed.
Over 260 MPs from every political party in the new parliament are calling on the Government to do so. This research project will help saves lives, improve outcomes and ultimately save the NHS millions.”
