World Cancer Day

This Saturday is World Cancer Day which aims to raise awareness of cancer in order to improve cancer treatment and diagnosis and enhance access to treatment. In 2008, around 12.7 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide.  Of these, it’s estimated that 1.38 million were breast cancer.  This accounts for roughly a tenth of all new cancers and a quarter of all female cancer cases.

In the UK alone, in 2008, around 50,000 people were diagnosed with breast cancer. This equates to about 130 people being diagnosed every day, or one person every 11 minutes.

Although nearly half of all cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women between the ages of 50 and 69 years, it’s important to remember that men can also develop breast cancer. In 2008, more than 340 men in the UK were diagnosed.

Despite these huge numbers, around 550,000 women are alive in the UK after a diagnosis of breast cancer and almost 2 out of 3 women diagnosed with breast cancer now survive their disease beyond 20 years. 

Whether you read this on World Cancer Awareness Day or any other day, remember that whatever your age, size, shape, it’s important to be breast aware. If you have had breast surgery (including a mastectomy with or without reconstruction), it is still important to remain breast aware after this, even if you are still having follow-up appointments or regular mammograms. Know what’s normal for you and go to your GP if anything changes – this includes you men!

Have any questions about this? Use our free Helpline to talk through any queries or concerns you may have.