Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women living in England and Wales. It is also the most common cause of cancer-related death in women, around 11,500 women died from breast cancer in England and Wales in 2002.

1 in 9 women and 1 in 300 men will have breast cancer at some time in their life. Breast cancer accounts for nearly one third of all cancers in women. There are 41,000 new cases of breast cancer each year.

Cancer of the breast becomes more common with age, with approximately 80% of breast cancers occurring in women over the age of 50.

The breasts contain lobes and ducts, which connect the lobes to the nipple. In breast cancer the cells in part of the breast grow in a chaotic way. Instead of growing and dividing in a regular, ordered way, they become out of control. If the cancer is not treated, the cells can spread within the breast or even break off and travel to other parts of the body.

If the cancer cells have not spread at all, not even into the surrounding breast tissue, this is called non-invasive breast cancer.

Depending on whether the cancer cells develop in the ducts or lobules of the breast, these cancers are called ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS) or lobular carcinomas in situ (LCIS). If the cancer cells have spread into the surrounding breast tissue, this is called invasive breast cancer and this is what is usually meant when people talk about breast cancer. Invasive breast cancer can be of different stages depending on how big the cancer is, if it has spread to the lymph glands in the armpit or if it has spread further within the body.