- Government figures show that 40% of people will suffer from some form of cancer during their lifetime and, for the first time in this country, cancer incidence has overtaken that of heart disease.
- Around 1 in 9 women will suffer from breast cancer at some time in their life.
- Statistics for 2003 show that over 44,100* people per year are diagnosed with breast cancer (which includes over 300 men) and around 12,400 people will die as a result of the disease.
- Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under the age of 35. The highest number of cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the 50-64 age group.
- Breast cancer accounts for nearly a quarter of all cancer cases amongst women worldwide.
- Of the total breast cancer cases that occur in this country annually, fewer than 10% can be attributed to an hereditary link. This means that as many as 90% of all breast cancer cases may be attributed to other causes.
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