Unhealthy lifestyles will reverse breast cancer decline

THE number of women dying from breast cancer will begin rising for the first time in decades due to unhealthy living, a report predicts.

By 2022, three decades of progress cutting the death toll in Britain would be in reverse, despite improvements in medical science, experts said.

Breast Cancer Now, which led the research, said that while modern medicine meant an individual woman’s chance of beating cancer was getting better, more were developing the disease in the first place due, in part, to preventable lifestyle factors.

This is threatening an increase in the overall number of deaths. Approximately 11,400 patients a year die from breast cancer that has become incurable by spreading to other parts of the body, compared to 15,625 in 1989.

By 2022, however, the number is projected to begin rising again.

It is believed that around 23 per cent of all breast cancer cases are preventable, and the report predicts that, unless lifestyle and health services improve, 89,000 women will develop avoidable cases between now and 2028.

The charity called on the Government to improve the rates of women taking up breast cancer screening services, which are crucial for catching cases early.

It said that merely cutting the disparity in diagnostic success between the best and worst performing areas of the country would save more than 1,000 lives a year.

The report comes in the year that officials admitted failures in the national breast cancer screening programme starting in 2009 meant 450,000 women were not invited for necessary scans. It is estimated that 75 died as a direct result.

Meanwhile, in June, analysis by four leading charities found the NHS ranked the third worst out of 18 developed countries at preventing avoidable deaths from diseases such as cancer. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, 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 and stop thousands more women dying from breast cancer.” At 71.1 per cent, breast cancer screening uptake is at its lowest rate in a decade. However, Breast Cancer Now predicts that improving attendance to meet the stated 80 per cent uptake target for all screening units could see an additional 230,323 women screened each year, preventing 1,260 deaths.

Baroness Morgan added: “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.”