Should You Worry About Breast Cancer In The Family?

Most forms aren’t hereditary, but there’s new drug advice for women with a family history

Breast cancer is our commonest cancer. With more than 55,000 new cases (including 400 men) each year, almost one in eight women will face this diagnosis. Rates have increased by a fifth since the 1990s (although they’re slowing down); around a quarter may be preventable and almost half occur in women over the age of 65. But survival rates are increasing, too, thanks to earlier diagnosis and better treatments; almost 90% live at least five years after being diagnosed, while many live for 20 years or more.

The causes