Breast cancer - A to Z
Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK. Over 100 women are diagnosed with the cancer every day. Men also get breast cancer but it is rare. Of the 46,000 cases diagnosed each year in the UK, around 300 are in men. Thanks to a combination of screening and improved treatment, death rates from breast cancer have fallen by a third since the 1980s.
Breast cancer risk increases with age, and around four out of five women diagnosed with the disease are over 50 years old. Having a strong family history of breast cancer or a previous diagnosis of the disease increases the risk. Other well-established risk factors include having no or few children, having children later in life and not breast feeding. Obesity after the menopause, regularly drinking alcohol and taking HRT also increase the risk of breast cancer.
Cancer Research UK is one of the largest funders of breast cancer research in the UK, investigating all aspects of the disease, from prevention to treatment. Our scientists have led the world in finding many of the genetic variations that influence breast cancer risk.
Browse content about Breast cancer
- Breast cancer
- Breast cancer - UK mortality statistics
- Breast cancer - survival statistics
- Breast cancer press pack
- Breast cancer screening
- Breast screening - definition of terms
- Breast screening - potential effects
- Breast screening in the UK - a brief history
- Breast screening statistics
- Dr Desmond Powe
- Dr Jason Carroll
- Dr Lisa Caldon
- Dr Simak Ali
- Issues around breast screening
- October 2010 podcast transcript
- Our policy on cancer screening
- Our progress and achievements in the 1960s
- Our progress and achievements in the 1990s
- Prof Alan Ashworth
- Prof Carlos Caldas
- Prof Charles Swanton
- Prof Doug Easton
- Prof Jack Cuzick
- Prof Julian Peto
- Prof Paul Harkin
- Prof Valerie Beral
- Professor Peter Mortimer
- September 2007 podcast transcript
- Spot breast cancer early
- Breast cancer - UK incidence statistics
- Breast cancer - risk factors
- Breast cancer in young women
- Breast cancer research
- Breast cancer statistics - Key Facts
- Breast screening - performance of mammography
- Breast screening and HRT
- Breast screening review
- Causes of cancer - Inherited gene faults
- Dr Fedor Berditchevski
- Dr John Stingl
- Dr Paul Pharoah
- Incidence projections for selected cancers
- June 2010 podcast transcript
- Our impact on breast cancer
- Our progress and achievements from 1902 to 1959
- Our progress and achievements in the 1980s
- Our progress and achievements in the 2000s
- Prof Bruce Ponder
- Prof Charles Coombes
- Prof David Phillips
- Prof Eric Aboagye
- Prof Judith Bliss
- Prof Nazneen Rahman
- Prof Robert Leonard
- Professor Peter Croucher
- Professor Ros Eeles
- Shift work and cancer
- Tamoxifen as a preventative therapy
Latest Breast cancer news from Cancer Research UK
- News story: Study uncovers genetic diversity of breast cancer
16 May 2012 - News story: International consortium releases cancer gene data
15 March 2012 - Press Release: CRT unveils 'screen test' for potential drugs to treat oestrogen positive breast cancer
5 March 2012 - News story: EU cancer death rate expected to fall again
29 February 2012 - Press Release: Hundreds more breast cancer patients should be tested for BRCA1 gene
15 February 2012 - News story: Promising breast cancer prevention drug 'weakens bones'
7 February 2012 - Press Release: Reprogrammed oestrogen binding linked to more aggressive breast cancer
4 January 2012 - News story: Triple drug combination effective in HER2-positive breast cancer
7 December 2011 - News story: Powerhouse of cells 'hyperactive in cancer'
1 December 2011 - Press Release: First patients enrolled in project to improve NHS cancer gene testing
21 November 2011
- Press Release: Scientists re-write rule book on breast cancer in landmark global study
18 April 2012 - News story: Oestrogen-only HRT after hysterectomy 'may protect against breast cancer'
7 March 2012 - Press Release: Age affects risk of being diagnosed with cancer at advanced stage
2 March 2012 - News story: CBT is effective for menopausal symptoms after breast cancer treatment
15 February 2012 - News story: Change4Life warns of cancer risk from drinking 'a little too much'
7 February 2012 - News story: Researchers defend HRT breast cancer study
17 January 2012 - News story: Scientists move a step closer to targeting key cancer process
9 December 2011 - News story: Chemo after breast cancer surgery cuts deaths by one-third
6 December 2011 - Press Release: Drug boosts survival when breast cancer spreads to brain
30 November 2011 - Press Release: Cancer Research UK launches nine high-tech gene projects
18 November 2011
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