Breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women, with a recent estimate of lifetime risk of 1 in 8. In 2016 the number of women with breast cancer in the UK had risen to 54,600, accounting for 15% of new cancer cases; the highest rise was in 50–90-year-olds, with a peak in >90-year-olds. This is probably attributable to lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise and late pregnancies. Because of advances in earlier diagnosis and major treatment, survival rates have gradually improved over the last 20 years, 80% of patients with early breast cancer now surviving 10 years after diagnosis.