West Lancashire MP shares cancer diagnosis
Ashley Dalton has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a
Last updated 9th Jan 2025
Ashley Dalton, MP for West Lancashire, today updated her constituents on a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer she has received following surgery last summer, and insisted she is working “business as usual”.
Ms Dalton, who serves as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care told constituents that “currently there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, but it is treatable”.
The MP describes herself as a ‘cancer-survivor’, having first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In what she describes as the “best news she could have hoped for” given her diagnosis, the MP has confirmed that the surgery she underwent last July removed all detectable cancer cells, leaving her with “No Evidence of Disease”.
What this means is that whist Ms Dalton still has cancer that has metastasised beyond her breast, there are currently no identifiable tumours in her body.
Ms Dalton has announced 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.
Despite the news, Ms Dalton has been clear with residents in her West Lancashire constituency that her office is working “business as usual”. She says she is “recovered” from her surgery and 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 support organisations to raise awareness of metastatic breast cancer alongside continuing to carry out her duties representing people living in West Lancashire.