Breast cancer cases soar, ...kills 12,000 women annually; ...experts blame modern lifestyles!

Women under 50 are being diagnosed with breast cancer at the record rate of 27 a day, reaching 10,000 a year for the first time.

One in five cases now involve women in this age bracket, while the rate is still climbing among older women.

Experts fear modern lifestyles are to blame for the rise among younger women. Many are drinking excessively, overeating and failing to exercise – all habits which contribute to breast cancer.

The growing trend for women to delay having children until their 30s and 40s, have smaller families and breastfeed for short periods of time, if at all, also pushes up the risk, claims Cancer Research UK.

The charity suggested that increasing use of the contraceptive pill may also play a role in the rise.

Breast cancer kills around 12,000 women annually, but more than ever before are surviving due to advances in treatment.

In women under 50 the death rate has almost halved in the last 20 years.

In younger women, a family history of the disease increases the risk.

But experts are concerned about changing lifestyle patterns among younger women, with many choosing to have children later or remain childless, which boosts the risk.

Pregnancy before the age of 30 and breastfeeding cuts a woman’s lifetime number of menstrual cycles, thereby reducing overall exposure to oestrogen, a hormone which drives most breast cancer tumours.

Previous research suggests women who breastfeed for six months reduce their risk of dying of cancer by ten per cent, possibly by a direct effect on breast cells making them more resistant to cancer.

Age remains the strongest factor for breast cancer, with a healthy lifestyle cutting risk at any age.

Women who are overweight or obese run a higher risk of developing the disease, probably through changes in sex hormone levels triggered by weight gain.

Studies show drinking just one large glass of wine a day increases the chances of developing breast cancer by a fifth.
 
‘Apart from being a woman, age still remains the biggest risk factor for breast cancer, with 80 per cent of cases in women over the age of 50. However, no matter what their age, all women need to be breast aware.’