New breast cancer partnership centres around practical information for women

The Department of Health and Social Care is entering a three-year partnership with the breast cancer charity Breast Cancer Now to ensure women receive practical information to build confidence in checking their breasts, recognising changes, and seeking advice sooner.

This is part of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, which sets out how the Government will improve women’s health and healthcare over the next 10 years. The renewed strategy aligns with the 10 Year Health Plan for England and sets out how women will have voice, choice and power in their health and healthcare.

What does this mean for clinical practice?

Earlier presentation: clinicians can reinforce breast awareness and explain which new or unusual changes warrant assessment.
Patient communication: directing patients towards trusted, accessible information could help address the confidence gap identified by Breast Cancer Now.
Post-treatment support: a new toolkit and training should help healthcare teams give consistent advice to women adjusting after treatment, including information about recurrence and healthy living.

Breast cancer statistics

Research from Breast Cancer Now shows that one in 5 (20%) UK adults are not confident they would know where to find trusted information about breast cancer if they had concerns. Also, almost a third of women who check their breasts regularly do not feel confident about the signs to look out for.

What clinicians need to know: The initiative will provide healthcare professionals with additional training and practical resources to help them discuss breast awareness, encourage women to recognise changes and seek advice promptly, and support patients following breast cancer treatment.

One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and around 11,500 women still die from the disease each year. If caught early, at stage 1, almost 100% of people survive at least 5 years. But when it’s caught late, at stage 4, that drops to 32%, making it cause for deep concern that so many women lack confidence in spotting breast cancer signs and symptoms.

Responses to the news

Minister for Women’s Health and Maternity, Baroness Merron, said “Breast cancer survival rates have improved enormously thanks to advances in our understanding of, and ability to treat, this disease, but it is still the case that early diagnosis is vital for each individual’s chances of survival.   That’s why we need to ensure every woman feels confident checking their breasts, recognising the possible signs of the disease, and getting any new or unusual breast changes checked by a GP.”

Rachael Franklin, Deputy Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, added: “By joining forces we’re driving progress faster and saving lives. We know early detection is vital, with almost 100% of people diagnosed at stage 1 surviving for five years or more, compared with just 32% at stage 4, when breast cancer has spread and become incurable.”

Further reading:

Resources for practice:

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Pavilion Health Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies.

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