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

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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