Breast Cancer Accounts for Almost a Third of Cancers in Women

BREAST cancer is the most common cancer in England. In 2003, there were approximately 36,500 new cases diagnosed, representing 32% of all cancers in women.

Four in five new cases are diagnosed in women aged 50 and over, with the peak in the 50-to-64 age group. Most of the known risk factors for breast cancer relate to a woman’s reproductive history.