The latest UK incidence figures for breast cancer (the number of women diagnosed with the disease) has risen from 45,700 in 2007 to 47,700 in 2008, according to new statistics from Cancer Research UK. The calculations have also found that the lifetime risk of a woman getting breast cancer has risen from one in nine to one in eight.
Jane Maher, Chief Medical Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support said:
‘These figures confirm what Macmillan professionals are seeing on the ground, that breast cancer is continuing to increase.
‘There is some good news in that earlier diagnosis and better treatments mean that more women are surviving their cancer. In fact, there are now almost 550,000 women living with a breast cancer diagnosis in the UK [1].
Therefore it is vitally important that resources are better used to ensure women get the care and support they need to have a good quality of life after treatment.’
Source: Macmillan Cancer Support