Breast cancer deaths 'set to rise by 2022'

Despite recent survival progress, the rising incidence of breast cancer is set to see the total number of UK women dying from the disease begin rising again within four years.

Breast Cancer Now projections estimate that, with around 55,000 women and 350 men being diagnosed with the disease each year, the total number of women losing their lives to breast cancer each year is expected to be on the increase again by 2022.

The figures show that if the breast cancer mortality rates of all CCGs across England were brought in line with the best-performing regions, over 1,100 additional deaths from the disease could be prevented each year. Therefore, Breast Cancer Now have urged the government to address the widespread inequality, calling for a dedicated fund for Cancer Alliances – to enable them to develop tailored interventions to improve the early diagnosis, treatment and care of breast cancer in their local CCGs.

Furthermore, the rise in deaths could be averted by taking a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ to save thousands more lives through the NHS Long Term Plan, by: addressing the stark geographic variation in NHS breast cancer services across England; investing in local initiatives to improve screening uptake amid decade-low attendance; and funding interventions to prevent thousands of ‘avoidable’ breast cancers by 2027, including by supporting more women to make sustainable healthy lifestyle changes.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “This projected rise in breast cancer deaths is deeply worrying, but it is not too late to stop it. We now have a once in a generation opportunity to invest to stop thousands more women dying from breast cancer and we urge the Government to act now.

“It’s so encouraging that, thanks to decades of research progress and NHS investment, more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before. But this progress is not sustainable without more investment to tackle the projected increase in the number of women losing their lives. With over eleven thousand families still being torn apart by metastatic breast cancer each year in the UK, we need to do much, much more.

“We know progress is achievable by tackling the unacceptable geographic variation in NHS diagnosis and care, improving screening attendance and supporting more women to make sustainable lifestyle changes. With incidence continuing to rise, and survival progress now stalling, we simply cannot afford to let such clear chances to prevent thousands of deaths pass us by. Preventing the spread of breast cancer, and finding ways to treat it effectively when it does, remains our greatest research challenge to improving survival – but we need the Government to take every available opportunity to save lives. Our aim is that by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live – but if we are to achieve this, we all need to act now.”