Want to know more about breast cancer? Dr Nick Plowman, Clinical Oncologist at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London answers some common questions about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. Use the video clip menu below to select a question.
Video Transcript: Give me an overview of breast cancer in the UK
Breast cancer is one of the commonest forms of cancer in the UK there are twenty five thousand new cases a year and one woman in twelve will develop the disease during her lifetime.
Approximately ten percent of patients with breast cancer have a family history of the disease and awareness amongst those families is important and clinical genetic testing is now available for at least two or possibly three of the genes that can drive the predisposition and initiation of breast cancer. Early diagnosis is the key and the mammographic screening programme has been the most important advance in picking up breast cancer at an early stage.
Of course it is important that ladies feel their breasts occasionally and report any lumps.
