Oonagh Wilson met the Duke of Rothesay at the £4.6 million centre which will aim to improve the treatment of people with the disease.

Mrs Wilson, from Elgin, plans to climb Ben Nevis as part of her ongoing fundraising for the charity and set up a Moray campaign group.

Mrs Wilson, of Spynie Street, had a double mastectomy and complete hysterectomy in 2003 when genetic testing revealed that she had a 90% risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

She has since campaigned for improved testing for the disease, helped to raise awareness of breast cancer and raised thousands of pounds towards the charity's work.

She was a VIP guest at the official opening of Breakthrough Breast Cancer's world-class research unit in Edinburgh by Prince Charles, who is patron of the charity.

"He was very well informed about the charity and came out with lots of percentages of family history. He had done his homework and was very approachable," she said.

"I was very impressed with him and he was keen to discuss different things to do with breast cancer."

The 41-year-old mother of two had already had five cases of breast cancer in the family when she took the major decision to have preventative surgery.

Figures show that enough women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Scotland to stand nearly five times the height of Ben Nevis.

And Mrs Wilson, family and friends are set to scale Scotland's tallest mountain in September to raise funds.

She also wants to form an Elgin-based group where people who had breast cancer or know someone affected by the disease can get involved in campaigning, promotion and fundraising.

The pioneering new breast cancer research unit – one of three new units being opened by Breakthrough in the UK (others are London and Manchester) – has been established by the leading UK charity and the University of Edinburgh.

The aim of the new centre is to improve breast cancer treatment and ensure that patients are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer. In Scotland, 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Research at the Breakthrough Research Unit in Edinburgh will focus on improving treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease. Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, but not everyone benefits from these treatments, and many women experience the problem of drug resistance when their treatment stops working.

The new unit will try to ensure that women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.

Elgin mum and Breakthrough Breast Cancer Campaign member Oonagh Wilson (centre) meets the Duke of Rothesay at the opening of the new research centre in Edinburgh last week.

The centre will bring together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for world-class breast cancer research. It is based at the University of Edinburgh laboratories, within the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and sited next to the Western General Hospital's Breast Unit.

It marks Breakthrough Breast Cancer's commitment to, and expansion of, its work in Scotland. The charity is dedicated to tackling breast cancer through research, campaigning and education, and needs to raise at least £25 million a year to support this vital work across the UK.

Mrs Wilson said the Edinburgh research centre represented a major step forward.

"The research they are doing is mind-blowing and the staff are very passionate about what they are doing. It gives us (in Scotland) a very exciting insight in what is happening much closer to him."

The royal guest toured the new unit with director, Professor David Harrison, and clinical lead Mike Dixon.

Mr Dixon, a consultant breast surgeon in the Edinburgh Breast Unit, said: "Being a breast surgeon, and also working in the laboratory, I know how important it is to translate laboratory findings into direct benefits for patients, and this type of research allows us to do this quickly and effectively," he said.

And Prof Harrison, who is Professor of Pathology at the University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, added: "This facility marks a significant step forward for breast cancer research in Scotland. By bringing together some of the best scientific and clinical minds in the country, we will be able to improve treatment available for women and ensure that patients are able to reap the benefits of our work as quickly as possible."

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. More than 44,000 women and around 300 men are diagnosed every year.

Breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three of all female cancers, and one in nine women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.

Mrs Wilson hopes many of the people diagnosed in Moray or family members of those affected will be keen to join a local campaign group.

"This is for anyone who has had breast cancer and come through the other side, is currently going through treatment or a friend or family member of someone who has had it and wants to do something positive."

Anyone who would like to join the group can contact Mrs Wilson on 0797 289 6671.

c.saunderson@northern-scot.co.uk

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