Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-05-Speech-4-020"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030605.1.4-020"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, we have waited a long time for this debate, and I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mrs Jöns, for all her work on this issue. It often takes one person to drive an issue forward and to obtain a result and if it were not for Mrs Jöns and all her hard work, we would probably not be sitting here today debating this issue.
Breast cancer is one of the greatest health problems facing Scotland and the EU as a whole. It is the most common form of cancer amongst women in Scotland and the second leading cause of death in all women. The disease affects one in nine women and claims 13 000 lives in the UK every year. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 35 to 55. These are quite chilling statistics, so what can we do to help prevent breast cancer in the first place? And if diagnosed, how can we ensure that women get the best possible treatment?
Firstly, as the rapporteur recognises, screening has to be a priority. Although treatment in Scotland and the UK is better than in most Member States, with specialist nurses and the promotion of breast care centres, it is still the case that, unlike with smear testing, women only start being screened automatically at the age of 50. The Scottish breast-screening programme currently invites eligible women aged 50-64 every three years. This is a good start, but we know there is always more that can be done. I would like to see more women screened at an early age across the EU and in the applicant states, and although women who have a history of breast cancer in their family are more aware of the risks, and start screening earlier, there is more we can do to push Member States to promote earlier and better diagnosis.
Recent studies show that, with improved screening of young and middle-aged women, mortality rates could be reduced by about one quarter.
Secondly, on prevention: interestingly the report mentions that the increase in breast cancer has been worldwide since the end of the Second World War. Part of the reason is better diagnosis and also people understanding about genetics and family history, but our environment, lifestyle, habits and general quality of life may be related. That is why research is so important, as are other directives promoted by the EU: for example, the new chemicals directive which is about to work its way through the parliamentary process and may be another way to try and minimise the risks that we as EU citizens face in our daily lives; the same applies to our work in dioxins and the eHealth communication.
Thirdly, we need to make sure that organisations like Europa Donna which have done so much work across Europe on the issue of breast cancer awareness are given the support they deserve. Women in the EU diagnosed with breast cancer need to understand the treatment options available to them. It is important that patients have access to useful information about breast cancer and support systems.
Finally, the importance of information and awareness runs through this report; this is our goal and we should all be aiming for this."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples