West Lancashire MP Ashley Dalton has revealed that she has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer after undergoing surgery last summer.
Despite the diagnosis, the Labour MP, who took office in 2023, has assured her constituents that it’s “business as usual”. She confirmed that while there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, it is treatable.
Describing it as ‘the best news she could have hoped for’, the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Secretary revealed that the surgery she underwent in July 2024 removed all detectable cancer cells, leaving her with “no evidence of disease”. This means that whist Ms Dalton still has cancer that has metastasised beyond her breast, there are currently no identifiable tumours in her body.
The MP said that because of this, she will not need to undergo any further treatment unless new cancer cells are identified. However, she will be having regular scans to identify and treat new cancer deposits as quickly as possible.
Ms Dalton has been clear with residents in her West Lancashire constituency that her office is working “business as usual”. She says she has “recovered” from her surgery and is feeling well, despite calling recent months a “dark time”.
As well as thanking the NHS teams who helped treat her, Ms Dalton has said that she has met with other women living with metastatic breast cancer in recent months. She has also outlined her desire to work with breast cancer charities and to support organisations to raise awareness of metastatic breast cancer alongside continuing to carry out her duties representing people living in West Lancashire.
Ashley Dalton says it is ‘business as usual’
In a statement shared on social media, she said: “It’s important to me that I am as open and transparent as possible with my constituents and so I would like to give everyone an update on my health.
“As some of you will remember last summer I underwent surgery. A month or so later the results confirmed that I have recurrent metastatic breast cancer. That means that the breast cancer I had 10 years ago, has returned in other parts of my body outside of the breast.
“There is currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer, but it is treatable. After several months of further tests and scans I’ve learned that the surgery I had in July that led to my diagnosis also appears to have removed all the visible cancer cells and my status is now what is called “No Evidence of Disease.” Given my diagnosis, this is the best news I could have hoped for and means that for now I do not need to undergo any further active treatment. It is possible that breast cancer cells may emerge elsewhere in the future though so I will have regular scans to keep an eye out for new cancer deposits so they can be treated as quickly as possible.
“Developments in cancer treatments and particularly improvements in imaging diagnostics have meant that people like me are able to be diagnosed quickly and, in many cases, metastatic breast cancer can become a chronic condition to be managed and not the death sentence it once was.
“Over the past 6 months I have had the privilege of meeting several other women with Metastatic Breast Cancer, some of whom have been thriving under treatment regimens for many years. I want to thank them for their advice and support and for bringing me hope at a dark time.
“It has been an incredibly difficult time for me, my family and close friends; we are all adjusting to the new normal of my condition. But I am recovered from my surgery and feeling well so it’s business as usual.
“Thank you to all the NHS teams in Merseyside and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, the Liverpool Womens’, Liverpool University Hospital Trust and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. Their care and expertise are exceptional.
“I hope to work with breast cancer charities and support organisations to learn more about people like me and what I can do to raise awareness of metastatic breast cancer. My team and I continue to be available for constituents and I will be representing you in Parliament as usual.
“I wish you all a very Happy and Healthy 2025.”
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