270 MPs now support breast cancer campaign started in Sussex

After the launch event in 2023, the then Horsham MP, Jeremy Quin became one of the first two MPs to get behind the project, the other being Dehenna Davison MP who represented Katie Swinburne. Both Katie and Susan were dealing with lobular breast cancer, the second most common type of breast cancer and the 5th most common type of female cancer. Katie was struggling with chemo and Susan was dealing with metastatic stage 4 disease as the disease had spread to the bones in her spine.

Susan realised that invasive lobular breast cancer was an unmet clinical need and had a very distinct and different biology to the more common form of breast cancer, often called ductal breast cancer. It needed to have its own specific treatment based on its unique biology and so she launched the Lobular Moon Shot Project to try and resolve this problem. Along with Katie and many other ladies nationally, they now work together to try and achieve better outcomes for the 1000 people a day globally who are diagnosed with the disease.

Just before the general election in 2024, the campaign had 247 MPs supporting the project and the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins MP, had agreed to fund the project. After the election, with a new parliament and a new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, the Lobular Moon Shot Project team had to start their campaign again, without their lead MPs Jeremy Quin and Dehenna Davison.

As of the 1st March 2025, they now have 270 MPs supporting them and have written numerous times to Wes Streeting for a meeting but he has yet to reply.

Dr Susan Michaelis stated: ‘Since the 2024 general election and as of 1st March 2025, 5,302 people have been diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in the UK alone and nearly 250,000 globally, yet we still have not heard from Wes Streeting, despite the numerous emails and letters we and other MPs have sent him. I hope he is simply thinking about how to make this project happen rather than ignoring us.’

Recently, the Lobular Moon Shot Project took its first small steps whilst it awaits Government funding. The Manchester Breast Centre, the research partner organisation to the Lobular Moon Shot Project, recently started doing research into the disease with the £100,000 that the Lobular Moon Shot Project team have raised through community activities and donations over the last 18 months.

Horsham based Fact Not Fiction Films, is currently making a documentary film called ‘Our Journey With Lobular’. The film will tell the story of some of those who are trying to get the research funded so one day there will be a specific treatment for what many call the ‘forgotten cancer’. It follows on from the short film they made ‘Eve Groves’ on the subject and which premiered at the Lobular Moon Shot Project launch event in May 2023. The new documentary is expected to be released this summer.

For more information about Lobular Moon Shot Project please visit: lobularmoonshot.org