Get the facts about breast cancer
12/10/2006
We look in detail at one of the most prevalant forms of cancer - but one for the which the prognosis is steadily improving.
• Approximately 42,000 people were diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2000 in the UK. Around 41,700 of these cases were in women and around 300 in men.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for almost one in three (30%) of all cancer cases in women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).
• Most cases (approximately 80%) of breast cancers occur in post-menopausal women (women aged over 50 years).
• Approximately 8,000 women are diagnosed before their menopause each year in the UK (women aged under 50 years).
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under 35. By age 35-39 over 1,400 women are diagnosed each year.
• Breast cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in people in the UK, after lung cancer and bowel cancer.
• The incidence of breast cancer in British women is increasing by more than 1% each year. From 1983-2002 the breast cancer incidence increased by 45%.
• Survival rates beyond five years are improving, probably due to increased breast awareness, earlier detection and improved treatment.
• Earlier diagnosis and better treatment have led to a 24% fall in breast cancer mortality rates since 1989 (1994-2004).
• It is estimated that around 172,000 women are alive in the UK who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last ten years.
Breast cancer risk factors
• 80% of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50.
• Around 8,000 pre-menopausal (under 50) women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. Approximately 2,000 of these are in their twenties and thirties.
• Men can get breast cancer but it is rare. Around 250 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year.
• The strongest risk factor for breast cancer (apart from gender) is age. The older you are, the higher your risk.
Estimated risk of developing breast cancer by age:
• Risk up to age 25: 1 in 15,000
• Risk up to age 30: 1 in 190
• Risk up to age 40: 1 in 200
• Risk up to age 50: 1 in 50
• Risk up to age 60: 1 in 23
• Risk up to age 70: 1 in 15
• Risk up to age 80: 1 in 11
• Risk up to age 85: 1 in 10
• Lifetime risk (all ages): 1 in 9
• Having children at a younger age (under 30) lowers the risk of breast cancer. The more children a woman has may also slightly lower her risk. Breast-feeding helps protect against the disease. The longer a woman breast feeds her children, the more she lowers her risk.
• Starting periods at a younger than average age (under 12) or having a late menopause (after 55) increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Taking the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) causes a small increase in risk. However, the risk gradually returns to normal after stopping taking them.
• Being overweight (especially after the menopause) increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Women with a strong family history of breast cancer may have an increased risk. A small number of women are at especially high risk because of faulty genes they have inherited. However, faults in known high-risk breast cancer genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for fewer than 10% of breast cancer cases. But most women with one or two affected relatives will never develop breast cancer.
• Regularly drinking more than 1 unit of alcohol per day slightly increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Having a previous diagnosis of breast cancer increases the risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast.
• Having certain benign breast conditions such as atypical hyperplasia can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
Breast cancer myths:
Deodorants cause breast cancer
To date, there is no hard evidence to prove or disprove this myth, which has caused unnecessary distress for a lot of women.
Underwired bras cause breast cancer
There is no evidence to suggest wearing a tight fitting bra or an underwired bra can cause breast cancer.
Major stress can cause breast cancer
There is no hard evidence that being stressed increases your risk of developing breast cancer. More research is needed to establish any link.
Living near electricity pylons causes breast cancer
There is no evidence linking electricity pylons to breast cancer.
Bruising the breast causes breast cancer.
There is no evidence that injury or trauma to the breast causes or increases the risk of breast cancer.
Younger women are more likely to get breast cancer
80% of breast cancer cases occur in women over 50. Although 8,000 women under the age of 50 develop breast cancer each year in the UK*, this is relatively uncommon.
Breast pain means breast cancer
Breast pain (or mastalgia) is quite common: about two thirds of pre-menopausal women will experience some degree of breast pain during their lives. Breast pain may be cyclical (related to the menstrual cycle) or non-cyclical and does not mean breast cancer is present.
Pregnancy increases the risk of breast cancer
Pregnancy does not increase the risk of breast cancer. In fact, the more children a woman has, the lower her risk of getting breast cancer. Having children at a young age also reduces the risk.
Examining the breasts once a month is the best way to diagnose breast cancer.
The Department of Health, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and all cancer charities including Breast Cancer Care now encourage women to be breast aware.
It's more than 10 years since women were advised to use a system called Breast Self-Examination (BSE). BSE involved women ‘examining’ their breasts once a month after their period with very specific instructions on how to do it. BSE was a very rigid and ritualistic approach.
Recent research (March 2004) by the World Health Organisation has found that regular breast examination for cancerous lumps is not effective in detecting abnormalities in the breast and causes more anxiety in women.
Breast awareness means women getting to know how their breasts look and feel normally so that they notice any change that might be unusual. Detecting a change early means that if cancer is diagnosed any treatment may well have a better outcome.
Follow the 5-point breast awareness code:
1. Know what is normal for you
2. Know what changes to look and feel for
3. Look and feel
4. Report any changes to your GP without delay
5. Always attend routine breast screening if you are aged 50 or over
Nine out of ten breast cancers are detected by women themselves or their partners. Although most breast changes will prove to be benign (non-cancerous) women should always report any concern to their GP.