A Glasgow MSP who survived breast cancer has asked the First Minister to ensure greater efforts are made to prevent women and men dying from the disease.

Patricia Ferguson, Maryhill and Springburn MSP, raised her own experience at First Minister’s questions as she sought to arrange a meeting between Nicola Sturgeon and campaigners.

Ms Ferguson asked about the Breast Cancer 2050 challenge campaign and said: “As a breast cancer survivor myself I know how crucial this campaign is, but I’m one of the lucky ones.”

She raised the case of campaigner, Colin Leslie whose fiancé Sharon died of breast cancer last year and who has shared his story.

Ms Ferguson asked if the First Minister would meet with her, Mr Leslie and other campaigners to further discuss how the Scottish government can stop women and men from dying from breast cancer.

Ms Sturgeon said she acknowledged the personal experience Ms Ferguson bought to the issue and said she was happy to meet with her and campaigners.

She added: “This is something we have to work together on if we are going to tackle not just breast cancer but all cancers and improve survival rates. We need to do more as we are seeking to do to detect cancer earlier

“This is something we all desperately want to see real progress on.”

She said she would welcome the “expertise” of Patricia Ferguson in those efforts.

Nicola Sturgeon also outlined efforts the Scottish Government had already taken to help beat cancer.

She said she had recently announced a £450,000 partnership with Breast Cancer Now for more research to take place and said a £39m detect cancer early programme was helping see record numbers of people surviving cancer for more than five years.

Figures released by Cancer research for World cancer day this week showed more people are surviving the disease in Scotland.

However it was still noted that by 2020 almost half of people in Scotland will have suffered cancer in their lifetime.

Ion 2003 there were 358 deaths per 100,000 population in Scotland from cancer. By 2013 that had fallen to 327 per 100,000.

Cancer research UK said too many people were still being diagnosed with cancer in Scotland and across the UK.