Every day, 32 women die from secondary breast cancer. This is where breast cancer cells have spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the liver, bones and brain. Secondary breast cancer is incurable but it can be treated and, with the right care and support, people can live with the disease for a number of years.

However, the support that people receive is, at best, patchy across the country. Access to specialist nurses is not consistently available and people are not always referred to palliative care for symptom control at an appropriate time. 

A Breast Cancer Care survey found that 90% of people living with secondary breast cancer experienced pain during the past month, with 78% of respondents saying this affects their ability to undertake normal daily activities. Much of this pain can be controlled but unfortunately, not enough is being done to support women with pain relief. Part of the reason for this is that healthcare professionals are not always referring patients to palliative care at the most appropriate time. We also know that there is a misunderstanding of what palliative care is and this is affecting the number of people who take up their referrals. More must be done to ensure that people understand that palliative care can help with pain relief and symptom control and that it is not just about end of life care.

We are calling on the UK and devolved governments to improve care and support for people affected by secondary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Care wants to see:

- healthcare professionals make secondary breast cancer patients aware, at the point of diagnosis, of how palliative care can help to manage their pain

- access to a clinical nurse specialist for secondary breast cancer patients

- prompt and timely access to expertise in palliative care for all secondary breast cancer patients

- all secondary breast cancer patients to receive the best treatment and care from diagnosis, throughout treatment and at the end of life

This petition forms part of Breast Cancer Care’s Spotlight on Secondary Breast Cancer campaign. To keep informed and stay involved, make sure you tick the box to hear more from Breast Cancer Care.