Too many women still dying from breast cancer, says charity

Thousands of women die from breast cancer each year because current treatments are not always effective and in some cases fail to stem the disease, warns Breast Cancer Campaign today.

In a comprehensive review of breast cancer research published today, 56 of the UK’s most influential breast cancer experts have identified the key research gaps and priorities for the greatest potential impact on patients.

Breast cancer treatment has improved over the past few decades and led to increased survival rates and better quality of life, the report highlights. However over 44,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and around 12,500 will die.

Unfortunately, not enough is known about why treatments don’t work for some patients or why breast cancer can return, sometimes many years later, says Breast Cancer Campaign.

The new study, one of the largest ever carried out in the UK and published by the open access journal Breast Cancer Research, is a unique insight into the current state of breast cancer research and its future challenges.

Gaps in key areas of breast cancer research have been identified in the report, says the charity: prevention, detection, spread or recurrence of the disease, treatment, pathology, physiology, genetics and psychosocial aspects of breast cancer.

Among the recommendations for future research priorities pinpointed by Breast Cancer Campaign:

• Identify new ways to predict and prevent breast cancer

• Predict who will develop advanced or secondary disease

• Determine how and why breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body

• Devise a suitable method to determine the effectiveness of a treatment at an early stage

• Understand more about the psychosocial and psychological impacts of breast cancer
  
  

Pamela Goldberg, Chief Executive Breast Cancer Campaign said, “Breast cancer research has made considerable progress over the past two decades and vital work is still underway. But there are still significant knowledge gaps.