Breast cancer statistics
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK with 1 woman diagnosed every 10 minutes.
55,000 women
400 men
are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.
In England, every year around 47,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer.
In Scotland, every year around 4,800 people are diagnosed with breast cancer.
In Wales, every year around 2,800 people are diagnosed with breast cancer.
In Northern Ireland, every year around 1,500 people are diagnosed with breast cancer.
A further 7,000 people are diagnosed with DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), an early form of breast cancer, in the UK every year.
1 in 7 women
in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month nearly
5,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Who develops breast cancer?
8 out of 10 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women aged 50 and over.
1 in 4 of cases are diagnosed in women aged 75 and over.
Just over 10,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 every year in the UK. Of these, around 7,600 women will be in their 40s.
Around 2,400 women in the UK are diagnosed aged 39 or under, or just 4% of all cases.
Breast cancer in men is rare with just 400 new cases in the UK each year, compared to around 55,000 new cases in women.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different kinds of breast cancer depending on which cells in the breast turn into cancer.
Breast cancer can begin in different parts of the breast and can spread outside the breast through blood vessels and lymph vessels. When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is said to have metastasized.
What are the signs and symptoms
of breast cancer?
There are many different signs and symptoms of breast cancer, so regularly checking your breasts for anything different or new is important.
The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatment. Getting to know what your breasts look and feel like normally means it’s easier to spot any unusual changes and check them with your doctor.
Common breast cancer signs and symptoms include:
A lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit. You might feel the lump, but not see it.
Changes in the size or shape of the breast
A change in skin texture i.e. puckering or dimpling of the skin
A change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed
Rash, crusting or changes to the nipple
Any unusual discharge from either nipple
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by Breast Cancer Now,
a third (33%) of those who do check their breasts for possible signs and symptoms don’t feel confident that they would notice a change.
Checking your breasts only takes a few minutes. Everyone will have their own way of touching and looking for changes, but remember to check the whole breast area, including your upper chest and armpits.
There’s no special technique and you don’t need training. Find out more about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Sources: breastcancernow.org
Aware ®
The Aware® Pad is an innovative, CE-marked medical device designed specifically to help you detect the subtlest changes in your breast tissue, enhancing the effectiveness of breast self-examination.
