Saying the word: the big picture on breast cancer
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month continues, we look at how common breast cancer is, how far outcomes have come, where detection still falls short, and why some less common forms bring their own fears.
Why the word still matters
As we’re still in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to start with a single word: Cancer. Many people still find it hard to say. For some, fear of the word keeps them from coming forward, from opening a screening letter or from making that appointment to deal with a change they have noticed.
This month is a chance to look at the big picture. Breast cancer outcomes have improved dramatically. But too many people are still diagnosed later than they need to be, and the chance of an early diagnosis is not the same for everyone.
A common cancer, and becoming more common
In 2022, around 2.3 million women worldwide were diagnosed with breast cancer and around 670,000 died from it. At current rates, around 1 in 20 women will be diagnosed in their lifetime and around 1 in 70 will die from the disease [1].
If current trends continue, the global picture will grow to around 3.2 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths a year by 2050 [1].
In the UK, close to 60,000 invasive breast cancers are diagnosed each year, alongside around 8,700 in situ cases [2]. Around 11,200 people die from breast cancer each year, around 31 every day [3].
How far outcomes have come
The progress is real. UK breast cancer death rates have fallen by almost half (46%) since the early 1970s, and by around a sixth (16%) over the last decade [3]. Rates are projected to fall by a further 13% by 2038 to 2040 [3].
Around 76.6% of women diagnosed with breast cancer now survive for 10 years or more [2]. In England, 85% of breast cancers are diagnosed at an early stage (stage I or II) [2].
Where detection falls short
The NHS Breast Screening Programme in England had its strongest year in a decade in 2024/25. Around 1.94 million women aged 50 to 70 were screened within six months of invitation, and 19,291 cancers were detected through screening, up almost 16% on the year before [4].
Yet overall uptake was 70.6%, well short of the 80% target. Had the target been met, around 259,519 more women would have been screened and around 2,228 more breast cancers found [5]. Only 3 of 77 screening units reached 80%, and 25 fell below the 70% minimum standard [5].
Women invited for the first time are the least likely to attend. First-invite uptake reached 63.6%, a ten-year high, but still below the 70% minimum in every English region [4, 5].
Not the same for everyone
Where a woman lives affects whether she is screened. Coverage is around 65% in the most deprived areas, compared with around 75% in the least deprived [5]. Uptake ranges from 55.8% in one London area to 81.0% in a Nottinghamshire screening unit [5].
Women at moderate or high risk of breast cancer are not covered by the national programme, so they are less likely to receive screening matched to their risk [5].
Fear, language and coming forward
Breast Cancer Now links low attendance among first-time invitees to worries and misconceptions about screening [5]. Fear of the word itself is part of that picture.
NHS England’s message is simple: “If you receive an invitation, please don’t ignore it. It’s an appointment that could save your life” [4].
We believe plain, honest language helps. Saying “breast cancer” clearly, explaining what screening involves and making it easy to ask questions all lower the barriers to an earlier conversation.
Not all breast cancers are the same
Breast cancer is not one disease. Some less common forms bring their own challenges, and for the people diagnosed, their own fears. Hearing words like “aggressive” or “rare” can make a frightening diagnosis feel even more isolating.
Lobular breast cancer made up 10.6% of breast cancers in US data from 2017 to 2021, and its incidence has risen by 2.5% to 4.4% a year since 2012 [6]. Its cells tend to grow in a single-file pattern, which makes it harder for standard mammography to detect [6].
Breast cancer in men is rare. Around 420 men are diagnosed in the UK each year, fewer than 1 in 100 of all breast cancers [7]. Symptoms include a lump in the breast, often painless, nipple discharge, a nipple that turns inwards, and a lump or swelling under the arm [7]. Anyone with these symptoms should see their GP straight away [7].
Why better detection matters
In England, 85% of breast cancers are now found at an early stage [2]. Screening finds thousands of cancers each year, but not every cancer is easy to see on a mammogram, and not everyone is invited or attends [5, 6]. Men are not screened at all, so awareness of symptoms is their main route to an early diagnosis [7].
That is why we are looking to develop Sentinel qCTC™, a circulating tumour cell platform, as part of wider efforts to give clinicians more information about breast cancer. Alongside screening, awareness and plain conversations, better tools have a part to play.
This Awareness Month, and every month: say the word, open the letter, and if something changes, don’t wait.
Sentinel qCTC™ is an investigational technology platform undergoing development at Frontier Diagnostics Ltd. The platform has not reached design freeze and has not been submitted for regulatory review under IVDR (EU) 2017/746, UK MDR 2002, or FDA 21 CFR Part 809. It is not approved, cleared, or validated for diagnostic, clinical, or commercial research use. All scientific content relating to Sentinel qCTC™ describes developmental aims and does not constitute performance claims.
Sources
[1] Kim J, et al. Global patterns and trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality across 185 countries. Nature Medicine, 2025 (IARC/WHO press release, 24 February 2025). https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pr361_E.pdf
[2] Cancer Research UK. Breast cancer statistics (incidence, survival and stage at diagnosis). https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer
[3] Cancer Research UK. Breast cancer mortality statistics. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer/mortality
[4] NHS England. Women attending first NHS mammogram hits 10-year high as thousands more cancers found, February 2026. https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/02/women-attending-first-nhs-mammogram-hits-10-year-high-as-thousands-more-cancers-found/
[5] Breast Cancer Now. What we’ve learnt from the latest breast screening data, 5 March 2026. https://breastcancernow.org/about-us/campaign-news/what-we-ve-learnt-from-the-latest-breast-screening-data
[6] Giaquinto AN, et al. Lobular breast cancer incidence, Cancer, 2025 (reported by AuntMinnie). https://cdn.auntminnie.com/clinical-news/womens-imaging/article/15768781/lobular-breast-cancer-incidence-rising
[7] Cancer Research UK. Breast cancer in men. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/types/male-breast-cancer
