BREAST CANCER FACTS AND FIGURES

Incidence
• More than 44,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year.

• One in nine women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime.

• Breast cancer can also affect men but this is rare. Around 300 cases are diagnosed each year in the UK.



Risk Factors
• Age is the biggest risk factor – more than 80 per cent of cases occur in women over 50 yrs.

• Some forms of HRT increase breast cancer risk. These are usually combined forms of HRT taken over a long period.

• Around eight per cent of breast cancer cases in the UK may be attributable to people being overweight and obese.



Prevention
• Regular exercise, including activities such as housework, DIY, gardening and stair climbing have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 20%

• Breastfeeding, cutting down on alcohol and avoiding being overweight, can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.



Survival
• Survival rates for breast cancer have been improving for more than 20 years, and more women than ever before are being successfully treated.

• The estimated five year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer is 80%.



Screening
• The NHS invites all women between 50 yrs and 70 yrs for a mammogram every three years. Screening for those over 70 yrs is available on request.

• It is recommended that women who are at a moderate or high risk of breast cancer due to a strong family history (i.e. two or more first-degree relatives) are screened annually from their early forties.



Cancer Research UK
• Cancer Research UK is the leading funder of breast cancer research in the UK, with an annual spend of more than £22.5 million. Our research is focused on finding new approaches for better diagnosis and prevention, identifying new drugs and improving current treatments and quality of life.




For more information about Cancer Research UK’s
www.cancerresearchuk.org/breastcancer