Breast cancer statistics

• Since 1993, when Breast Cancer Awareness Month first started in the UK, the average age of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been 50-54.
• Statistics for 2005-07 show that 46,010* women per year are diagnosed with breast cancer and 12,247 women will die as a result of the disease.
• Around 1 in 9 women (2001 data) will suffer from breast cancer at some time in their life.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women under the age of 35.
• Breast cancer accounts for nearly a quarter of all cancer cases amongst women worldwide and accounts for 32% of the cancer burden in the UK.
• 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.

* Latest figures available from Office of National Statistics (updated August 2010).