Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK – with one woman being diagnosed with the disease every 10 minutes. One in seven will receive a diagnosis at some point in their lives, but the public are more aware of the issue than ever thanks to high-profile names, such as the TV presenter Julia Bradbury, Strictly pro dancer Amy Dowden and the Duchess of York, speaking about their own experiences. Despite the statistics, there is still huge cause for hope and the work being done to beat breast cancer cannot be underestimated. Compared with 20 years ago, women in England who are diagnosed with early breast cancer are 66% less likely to die from the disease within the first five years – and it doesn’t stop there, as charities are keen to highlight.
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month
(Image: GETTY)
“Breast cancer survival has doubled in the past 40 years in the UK. In the 70s, four in 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer survived their disease beyond 10 years, now it’s around eight in 10,” says Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, Breast Cancer Now’s head of research communications. “Also, almost nine in 10 women are now alive five years or more after their diagnosis.” These figures can be attributed to a range of different factors, from higher rates of early detection to a wider range of treatments being available. There’s reason to celebrate how far we’ve come, and remain optimistic about the future. “For instance, the launch of the routine NHS breast screening programme in 1988 revolutionised early detection of breast cancer. It prevents around 1,300 breast cancer deaths every year in the UK,” says Dr Temcinaite. “Spotting the disease at an early stage is so important because the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the more effective treatment is likely to be.” Dr Samuel Godfrey, research information lead from Cancer Research UK, also wants to emphasise the point that early detection can save lives.
“Spotting the disease at an early stage is so important,” says Dr Kotryna Temcinaite
(Image: Breast Cancer Now)
“The sooner you can diagnose someone’s cancer, the more effective treatment can be and the more treatment options there are,” he says. “By people being more aware of their body and knowing when something seems unusual, we’re taking away the fear of going to the doctor and talking about cancer.” Early detection is just one piece of a big puzzle. “We also know a lot more about the genetics of breast cancer. We know which people are at a higher risk, such as those with mutated BRCA genes,” Dr Godfrey adds. “Understanding this allows us to start looking at risk management where we can closely monitor those people.” Dr Godfrey points to government policies that are proving to be a useful intervention. “About a quarter of breast cancers are preventable. That doesn’t mean that a quarter of breast cancer is somebody’s fault, it means that a quarter of breast cancers are down to lifestyle behaviours,” he says. “If we take smoking as an example, policy changes have made it easier for people to live healthily, such as adding taxes that discourage the use of cigarettes, which has helped reduce cancer rates.”
Dr Samuel Godfrey says that early detection can save lives
(Image: Cancer Research UK)
Though a lot has been done, that’s not to say that more can’t be done. “We’re still seeing a quarter of people with breast cancer not surviving the disease. That’s unacceptable,” he says. “We can make changes in the prevention and treatment spaces and help combat staffing and funding issues in the NHS.” There is lots of activity going on behind the scenes to improve how cancer is diagnosed. “People are developing new tools all the time. In the future, people may be able to go to a routine blood test and find out that breast cancer is developing,” Dr Godfrey says. “There’s a really exciting personalised breast cancer medicine programme happening that looks at how we can match patients with the perfect drug for their cancer.” Developments such as artificial intelligence could be used in the diagnostic process. “In May, Breast Cancer Now-funded scientists discovered that AI can predict if an aggressive type of breast cancer will spread, based on changes in a patient’s lymph nodes,” says Dr Temcinaite.
There’s lot of work and research being done to combat breast cancer
With all that in mind, the future looks hopeful. “Cancer is scary, but there is an awful lot of room for optimism. I’d love to get to a point where someone can get a fast diagnosis and receive a relatively minor but targeted treatment,” says Dr Godfrey. “We want that portion of life where they’re worried about cancer to be short before they’re back to normal. I think it’s achievable.” Dr Temcinaite agrees. “Breast Cancer Now’s aim is that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live and be supported to live well,” she says. “But with 11,500 people dying from the disease every year in the UK, we know our work is far from done. That’s why the charity is funding more than £27 million worth of world-class research projects to discover how we can prevent breast cancer, save lives and help people to live well with and beyond the disease.” Breast Cancer Now is the research and support charity here for anyone affected by breast cancer. Call their free helpline on 0808 800 6000 to speak to their expert nurses or find out more and donate at breastcancernow.org. Together we are beating cancer. By supporting Cancer Research UK, you are helping to fund life-saving cancer research. Donate monthly at cruk.org/donate.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterMore OnHealth
