Breast cancer facts & figures

  • Breast cancer is the commonest female cancer in the UK and accounts for approximately one in three cancers in women (1)
  • Deaths from breast cancer average 12,400 a year in the UK, with more than 44,600 new cases diagnosed annually (2)
  • Eighty per cent of 10 breast cancers are found in women aged 50 years or over (3)
  • Younger women are at less risk, with approximately 8,600 women under 50 diagnosed every year, 1,500 of whom are aged between 35 and 39 (3)
  • While breast cancer can happen in men, the risk is much lower with 287 cases (fewer than one per cent) in 2005 (3)
  • Since 1990 breast cancer deaths have fallen by 18 per cent. But breast cancers are still the third biggest cause of death from cancer, after lung cancer and bowel cancer (4)

Infolinks:

Refs:

  1. Office for National Statistics | Cancer incidence and mortality: trends in the United Kingdom and constituent countries (1993 to 2004) Adobe pdf | Health Statistics Quarterly 38 (p 37) | Summer 2008
  2. Cancer Research UK | Breast cancer at a glance | Accessed Mar 12 2009 | Page last updated: 23 March 2007
  3. Cancer Research UK | Key Facts on Breast Cancer | Accessed Mar 17 2009 | Last updated Mar 27 2009
  4. National Health Service | Screening for Breast Cancer in England: Past and Future Adobe pdf | NHSBSP Publication No 61 | February 2006

Infolinks:

All Dr Foster health content is provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional, or relied upon as a source of comprehensive practitioner material.

All Dr Foster health content has been peer reviewed by GPs and is updated anually when necessary.

Dr Foster is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made or treatment given by a user based on the content of the supplied health content. Dr Foster is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.

Always consult your own GP if you are concerned about your health.