Labour MP Dawn Butler diagnosed with breast cancer

Labour MP Dawn Butler has told the BBC she has undergone surgery after being diagnosed with breast cancer at a routine check-up.

The MP for Brent Central, 52, was given the news in December and recently had a mastectomy at Royal London Hospital.

She said she had no signs or symptoms and the cancer was only picked up because of routine breast screening.

"A mammogram saved my life," she told the BBC. "Without a mammogram, my cancer wouldn't have been discovered."

After a follow-up biopsy, the politician was asked to see a surgeon the next day. It was at that moment she knew she had cancer, she said.

"It was so overwhelming," she said. "The first thing I thought was, 'I'm dying'. I thought, 'I've probably got 24 hours to live'. That was my first reaction."

'Some bad news'

Due to Covid, she was alone in the hospital room when the diagnosis was confirmed by the surgeon. The MP said she immediately worried she would require chemotherapy and feared: "I'm going to lose all my hair."

However, she was told the cancer was contained in one area, and they should be able to "just remove it". The surgeon told her she would require an operation "to cut it out".

The Labour politician returned to her family to tell them she had "some bad news", adding: "But I'm not dying."

• Public told not to delay cancer check-ups

• One million UK women may have missed breast scans

• Watch Victoria Derbyshire's full interview with Dawn Butler on BBC iPlayer

Ms Butler, whose mum and sister both survived breast cancer, initially shared the diagnosis with only her partner and sister-in-law.

She said the notion of sharing her diagnosis more widely led to her having a panic attack. "I thought, 'I'm going to need to go public'. And I just had a panic attack.

"This was probably about midnight. And I'm thinking 'oh my goodness', and I just started feeling myself overheating."

What is a mammogram?

• Breast screening uses a breast x-ray, called a mammogram, to look for cancer that may be too small to see, or feel.

• In the UK, women aged 50-71 who are registered with a GP are invited for a mammogram every three years as part of a national breast-screening programme. The sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the greater the chances of survival.

• According to the charity Breast Cancer Now, more than 80% of breast cancers occur in women over 50 and the risk continues to increase with age.

• The NHS says anyone with any symptom of breast cancer should see a GP - even if you have recently had a clear breast scan.

For more information visit the NHS website.

'They've saved my life'

A leading charity estimated almost one million women in the UK missed vital breast screening during the first coronavirus lockdown, when programmes were paused.

At the time, Breast Cancer Now estimated around 8,600 women who had missed a scan were likely to have undetected breast cancer.

Ms Butler has now urged all women to go for a mammogram as soon as they're asked to.

"There'll be women who will die if their breast cancer is not discovered, and needlessly so," she added.

The MP said she was incredibly grateful to the NHS medics who treated her. "I'm not going to forget what they've done for me," she added.

"I'm not going to forget the effort that they put in, and how they don't always feel valued. They've saved my life - I know it's what they do - but they really are sort of superheroes."

She said the operation was a "complete success" and that she will "make a full recovery".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he and the party were supporting Ms Butler.

"Dawn, your bravery, strength and determination shine through," he said. "I am sorry you're going through this, but know that I, and the whole party, are behind you."

Ms Butler is now taking time off work to recover from surgery, but said she plans to throw herself into more campaigning.

Asked what message she wants to get across, she added: "Please go for your mammogram. Just book it and go."