Study to save lives in memory of Sarah

RESEARCH PROJECT INTO EARLY SIGNS OF BREAST CANCER IN YOUNG WOMEN WAS BACKED BY TRAGIC GIRLS ALOUD STAR

- JANE KIRBY

A MAJOR cancer research project in memory of singer Sarah Harding will look for early signs of breast cancer in young women.

Harding, who was part of the pop group Girls Aloud, died from the disease aged 39 in 2021 and one of her final wishes was to find new ways of spotting breast cancer early, when it is more treatable.

The new Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women (Bcan-Ray) project will become one of the first in the world to identify which women are at risk of getting the disease in their 30s.

Around 2,300 women aged 39 and under are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.

The project, which will run in Greater Manchester, is being made possible thanks to funding from the Christie Charity, Cancer Research UK and the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, which is supported by Sarah’s family, friends and Girls Aloud bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts.

Speaking about the study before her death in comments shared exclusively with the PA Media news agency, Sarah said: “Research is incredibly important in the fight against cancer.