Breast cancer - survival statistics

The latest age-standardised relative survival rates for breast cancer in England during 2005-2009 show that 95.8% of women are expected to survive their disease for at least one year, falling to 85.1% surviving five years or more (Table 3.1).1,2 Broadly similar rates have been reported for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.3-5

Table 3.1: Breast cancer (C50), Age-Standardised One-, Five- and Ten-Year Relative Survival Rates, Females (Aged 15-99), England 2005-2009 and England and Wales 2007

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*Ten year survival rates have been predicted for patients diagnosed in 2007 (using the hybrid approach)

A common misconception is to treat five-year survival rates as ‘cure’ rates. However, for breast cancer survival continues to fall beyond five years after diagnosis (Table 3.1).1

The five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer are among the highest of the 21 most common cancers in England.1

section updated 10/05/12

Breast cancer survival varies by age at diagnosis. For most cancers relative survival decreases with age but breast cancer is unusual in that women diagnosed in their 50s and 60s have consistently higher survival rates than either younger or older women. It has been suggested that survival rates for younger women diagnosed with breast cancer are lower because the types of breast cancer diagnosed in pre-menopausal women tend to be more aggressive.6,7

The five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer in England during 2005-2009 ranged from 84% in 15-39 year olds to a peak of 90% in 50-69 year olds, then decreasing gradually to 69% in 80-99 year olds (Figure 3.1).1

Figure 3.1: Breast cancer (C50), Five-Year Relative Survival Rates by Age, Females, England 2005-2009

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section updated 10/05/12

As with the majority of cancers, relative survival for breast cancer is improving. This can generally be attributed to faster diagnosis due to improvements in treatment, raised awareness and the NHS Screening Program.8 However, there is still scope for improvement and increasing cancer survival rates remains a major priority of Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer.9 An outcome of this Strategy is the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI), which is a public sector/third sector partnership between the Department of Health, National Cancer Action Team, and Cancer Research UK. The role of NAEDI is to promote the earlier diagnosis of cancer, and this will involve researching ways to further improve survival rates from breast cancer.

One-year relative survival rates have been used as an indicator of early diagnosis, since death before one year is likely to be due to the disease being diagnosed at a late stage. One-year relative survival rates for breast cancer increased from 82% in England and Wales during 1971-1975 to 95.8% in England during 2005-2009 (Figure 3.2).1,10-12

Figure 3.2: Breast cancer (C50), Age-standardised One-Year Relative Survival Rates, Females, England and Wales 1971-1995 and England 1996-2009 

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*Survival rates are for England only from 1996 onwards

While relative survival rates are still influenced by early diagnosis after five years, they are also strongly dependent on the success of treatment. Five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer increased from 52% in England and Wales during 1971-1975 to 85.1% in England during 2005-2009 (Figure 3.3).1,10-12

Figure 3.3: Breast cancer (C50), Age-Standardised Five-Year Relative Survival Rates, Females, England and Wales 1971-1995, England 1996-2009

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*Survival rates are for England only from 1996 onwards

Ten-year relative survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer increased from 41% in England and Wales during 1971-1975 to a predicted** 78.4% in England in 2007 (Figure 3.4).2,12,13

Figure 3.4: Breast cancer (C50), Age-Standardised Ten-Year Relative Survival Rates, Females, England and Wales 1971-1995 and Predicted 2007, England 1996-2003

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*Survival rates are not age-standardised from 1971-1985
**The ten-year survival rates have been predicted for patients diagnosed in 2007 (using the hybrid approach).

section updated 10/05/12