MEPs urge all Member States to introduce mammography to detect breast cancer earlier. In a written statement, signed by 381 deputies, Parliament points out that this type of cancer is the leading cause of death in european women among 35 and 59. Each year, more than 300,000 women are diagnosed with this disease.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among European women, and the first in the sector between 35 and 59 years. Early detection is key to diagnose this disease at an early stage and increase the effectiveness of treatments.

The written declaration calls on Member States to "introduce a national early detection by mammography" of breast cancer. Every year the disease kills 89,674 women in the EU.

The text also notes that, thus, the number of deaths from breast cancer could be reduced up to 35% in European women between 50 and 69 years. He requested the Commission to present a biennial report to assess how it has carried out such screening in all countries of the Union.

MEPs ask also to "organize multidisciplinary units of breast cancer by 2016" in each Member State. It also calls on the Commission "to present current and reliable statistics" about the disease, "to support the development of national registers of cancer" and "facilitate the right financing" for all this stuff.

Recently, the EU has earmarked €10,5 million for a new research project on breast cancer, as part of an international research effort coordinated since 2007 by the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC): BASIS aims to unlock the genetic code of breast cancer

The EU plans to cut cancer rates by 15% by 2020, according to the Communication on a European Partnership for Action Against Cancer issued by the European Commision in June 2009, and is attacking cancer on two fronts - by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and funding research into cancer treatments. Recently, EU has issued an European code against cancer.