What does the new Cancer Strategy mean for breast cancer?

This year, World Cancer Day was even more exciting for charities like us, advocating for the greater prioritisation of cancer prevention policy in healthcare. Why? The National Cancer Strategy was officially launched!

Announced in parliament by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Andrew Gwynne MP), the Cancer Strategy will set out a framework of reforms to address the modern challenges of the disease. Its “call for evidence” (i.e. the Government asking for as much information as possible) has now opened. Anyone can contribute until 29 April 2025.

Where we stand

A Cancer Strategy is not a new suggestion, and it’s something we have been calling on for years. In all honesty, it has done a bit of a commitment hokey-cokey following its initial promise and subsequent replacement by the Major Conditions Strategy in 2023. However, it is great to learn that it is promised under the guidance of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – Wes Streeting MP, who has personal experience with cancer.

56,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK per year. However, 30% of these cases can be prevented. That adds up to 17,000 cases! This statistic underlines the fundamental goal of Breast Cancer UK; to place prevention at the heart of healthcare. After all, prevention does save lives.

Although “prevention” is highlighted as one of the three shifts vital for our NHS, prevention to lower our risk must begin long before we ever see breast cancer in an individual. This type of prevention is known as “primary prevention”. This is because you are preventing someone from getting the disease in the first place.

We want to make sure that the strategy not only addresses how we diagnose and treat cancer effectively, but recognises preventing new cancer cases as an integral part of the strategy. From lifestyle to environmental risk factors, it’s time to strive towards effective and active-oriented prevention policy.

What next?

We are monitoring the Cancer Strategy closely, contributing to its call for evidence to highlight the importance of prevention. Now is the time to act. You can join us and submit your own response here. You can use our manifesto for ideas on how we can make prevention work. If you would like to learn more, email our Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns Gareth at [email protected].

• awareness
• Breast cancer
• breast cancer prevention
• Breast Cancer UK
• cancer
• change
• Government
• health
• health care
• MP
• Parliament
• policy
• prevention
• strategy