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An analysis has shown that the number of women who died of breast cancer in the United Kingdom could start to increase in the next four years.
The increased incidence of the disease, combined with the slow increase in survival rates, means that the number of deaths could increase by 2022, said Breast Cancer Now.
The charity urged the government to act, describing it as a "unique opportunity" to end thousands of deaths.
Survival rates for breast cancer are improving, but the aging of the UK population and rising rates of obesity, among other factors, are leading to more women being diagnosed with the disease. The Breast Cancer Now projections, in collaboration with the York Health Economics Consortium, suggest that the number of breast cancer deaths could increase if trends continue.
According to the analysis, in 2021, 11,095 women aged 15 to 90 years would die of this disease. The researchers suggest that this number will reach 11,876 deaths by 2035.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, CEO of Breast Cancer Now, said, "The expected increase in breast cancer deaths is very worrisome, but it is not too late to stop it. We now have a unique opportunity to invest in preventing thousands of other women from dying from breast cancer and we urge the government to take action now.
"It's so encouraging that thanks to decades of progress in research and investment in the NHS, more and more women are surviving breast cancer. But this progress is not sustainable without more investment to cope with the expected increase in the number of women who lose their lives.
The charity issued a report calling for more investments in breast cancer as part of the NHS's long-term plan. The government should address the geographic variation of NHS breast cancer services, invest in local initiatives to improve selection and fund interventions to prevent "preventable" deaths.
Baroness Morgan said: "With the incidence continuing to increase, and the progression of survival now stalled, we simply can not afford to miss such chances of preventing thousands of deaths.
"Preventing the spread of breast cancer and finding ways to treat it effectively when it does is our biggest research challenge for improving survival, but the government must seize every opportunity to save lives.
About 55,000 women and 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK and more than 11,000 die of it.
The number of deaths fell from 15,625 in 1989. Most deaths are due to metastatic or secondary breast cancer, when tumor cells spread to other parts of the body.
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