The number of women under 50 diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK has exceeded 10,000 for the first time according to latest statistics from Cancer Research UK.
One-in-five breast cancer cases are now in women under 50, as recent figures show the total number of women diagnosed each year is now approaching 50,000. However, the range of women in this age group dying from the disease has fallen by 40% since the early 1990s, largely because of better treatment thanks to research. More than eight in 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 50 now survive their disease for at least five years. Around 7,700 women under 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 in the UK. But by 2010 more than 10,000 were diagnosed with the disease, with the corresponding incidence rates rising by 11%. The rise in younger women reflects the overall steady increase in the numbers of breast cancer cases diagnosed in women of all ages – an 18% growth in incidence rates over the same time period. It is unclear why rates of breast cancer are rising in this age group but increasing alcohol intake and hormonal factors, such as having fewer children and having them later in life, and increased use of the contraceptive pill may have a role to play.
