Breast cancer survivor Hannah Gretton grateful for drug advances

A breast cancer survivor has described how she wants to help in the development of less toxic and aggressive drugs.

Hannah Gretton, 48, from Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, was diagnosed with cancer in her left breast in January.

During her treatment she was asked to appear in a Cancer Research UK advert to highlight the progress in developing cancer-beating drugs.

"Their advancements in technology are just amazing," she said.

Ms Gretton found a lump in her breast and made a doctors appointment in December 2022, but had not told any friends or family until she was due to have further tests after Christmas.

"It was tough... I didn't want to upset or worry anyone else," she said.

She said the diagnosis was "a shock to the system".

"For a week and a half I went into a very dark place and just had to have time to process it," she said.

"I knew I wanted to do a lot of fundraising so my cancer had a purpose - rather it controlling me and it be all consuming, actually I had some control over it.

"I came out of that dark place very, very determined."

While she was undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy at University Hospital Southampton, her oncologist Dr Hugo De La Pena asked her if she would appear in a Cancer Research UK advert.

She said: "Before he'd finished his sentence, I said 'yes of course I'm going to be in the advert - anything I can do to support you and Cancer Research UK'.

"My mum even muscled in on the TV ad - it was a lovely thing for mum and I to do."

Ms Gretton received the all clear in September and has raised almost £3,000 for the charity.

"The drugs are so much more intelligent now," she said. "The technology into looking at less aggressive and less toxic drugs - it meant not having 15 lots of radiotherapy, I only had five.

"Whatever I can do to promote them, I want to do."

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