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Breast Cancer UK key messages
• Every year, 56,000 people hear the words ‘you have breast cancer’. Yet at least, 30% of breast cancer cases could be prevented, saving thousands of lives, and avoiding the devastating impacts of a diagnosis.
• It’s time to take action to prevent breast cancer. Make small changes in your everyday life to help reduce your risk of breast cancer.
• Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals or EDCs are chemicals that enter our bodies and interfere with our natural hormones. They have been linked to many illnesses and health problems, including breast cancer.
• Together we can prevent people hearing the devasting words ‘you have breast cancer’.
• It’s never too soon or too late to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
• Join our prevention movement today. Help make breast cancer prevention a reality.
Breast Cancer UK prevention key statistics
• The proportion of breast cancer cases that can be prevented is estimated to be at least 30%.
• It is estimated that at least, 16,800 breast cancer cases could be prevented by making lifestyle changes.
• By being physically active you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by around 20%.
• In the UK it is estimated that 8% (around 4,440) of female breast cancer cases are linked to alcohol consumption.
• In the UK 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Following breast cancer diagnosis, physical activity reduces the risk Of breast cancer recurrence by around 15-30%.
• Risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women is increased by 2% per 5 kg/m2 BMI (every 5 units of BMI).
• Women who are overweight or obese after menopause have a 20-60% higher breast cancer risk than those who are lean.
• Being underweight increases breast cancer risk in pre-menopausal women.
• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding.
• Each year in the UK around 375 men get breast cancer.
• Being obese is thought to increase breast cancer risk in men by approximately 30%.
References:
1. Cancer Research UK. Breast Cancer Statistics https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/healthprofessional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer#heading-Zero (accessed 18 July 2022).
2. Arthur, R. S. et al. (2020). Genetic Factors, Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle Behavior, and Risk of Invasive Breast Cancer Among Women in the UK Biobank. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 112(9):893-901. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7492765/pdf/djz241.pdf Soerjomataram, I. et al. (2018). Cancers related to lifestyle and environmental factors in France in 2015. European Journal of Cancer 105:103-113. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30445359/ Kulhánová, I. et al. (2020). Proportion of cancers attributable to major lifestyle and environmental risk factors in the Eastern Mediterranean region. International Journal of Cancer 146,646–656. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ijc.32284 Masala, G. et al. (2017). Up to one-third of breast cancer cases in post-menopausal Mediterranean women might be avoided by modifying lifestyle habits: the EPIC Italy study. Breast Cancer Research & Treatment 161: 311–320. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10549-016-4047-x
3. Gore A. C., et al. (2015). EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s second scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Endocrine Reviews, 36(6):E1-E150. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26544531/
4. Guo et al (2020). Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk: Results from the UK Biobank Prospective Cohort. British Journal of Cancer 122: 726-732. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-019-0700-6
5. Brown K. F. et al. (2018). The fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015. British Journal of Cancer 118(8): 1130–1141. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0029-6 6. Spei,M.-E. et al (2019). Physical Activity in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on overall and Breast Cancer Survival. The Breast (2019): 144-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.breast.2019.02.001 Lahart, I. M. et al. (2015). Physical activity, risk of death and recurrence in breast cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Acta Oncologica 54 2015 5. https://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0284186X.2014.998275Zagalz-Anula, N. et al. (2022). Recreational physical activity reduces breast cancer recurrence in female survivors of breast cancer: A meta-analysis. European Journal of Oncology 59:102162. https://www.ejoncologynursing.com/article/S1462-3889(22)00070-9/fulltext
