Breast cancer: Women can expect a normal lifespan

In the news: breast cancer screening | Breast cancer survival rates

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Breast cancer is a worry for most women with more than 44,000 cases diagnosed in the UK every year, but new research suggests that for many women it won't have any effect on their lifespan.

Why is breast cancer in the news?

New findings show that women whose breast cancer is spotted early live just as long as women who never develop the condition.

So what does this actually mean?

60% of breast cancer cases are noticed very early, before the cancerous cells have spread to the lymph nodes. And a report by the Associate of Breast Surgery and the NHS Breast Screening Programme has discovered that these women end up living to the same age as women who have never had cancer.

What if you don't catch your breast cancer early?

Well, it's not all doom and gloom. The same report shows that survival rates for women with more aggressive types of breast cancer are also on the up. If your breast cancer is detected at a regular screening, then 86% of women in England, Wales and Northern Ireland survive at least 15 years.

How do I get screened?

Currently, 80% of cases affect women over the age of 50, so the NHS provides free breast screening every 3 years for women aged 50 and over.

This means that around 1.5 million are screened every year and screening is going to be extended to include women between the ages of 47 and 73 by 2012.

This will add an extra 400,000 screenings a year and more cases being diagnosed.

What if I don't fall into that age group?

Whether you fall into the 50-70 age bracket or not, you are still advised to check your breasts regularly for any unusual lumps or changes in size and shape.

Around two-thirds of breast cancer cases are found in ways other than screening, either because they appear during screenings or because the women don't fall into the screening age range.

So what's the message here?

Martin Lee from the Association of Breast Surgery says: 'I would encourage all women who are invited to be screened to attend. Any woman who has previously ignored an invitation to a breast screening should contact her local unit.'

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