About 20,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented each year by being more physically active, reducing alcohol consumption and keeping to a healthy weight, according to new figures from World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

There were approximately 47,600 new cases of breast cancer in the UK in 2008, the most recent year for available figures. WCRF estimates about 42 per cent of these - roughly 20,000 cases - could have been prevented through healthier lifestyle choices.

The figures, which were released to mark WCRF's Cancer Prevention Week, have led the charity to call on women to make the lifestyle changes necessary to cut their breast cancer risk.

Dr Rachel Thompson, Deputy Head of Science at WCRF, said: "These figures show that we still have a long way to go to raise awareness about what women can do to prevent breast cancer.

"It is very worrying that in the UK there are still tens of thousands of cases of breast cancer which could be prevented every year. Breast cancer can be prevented by cutting down on drinking, being more physically active and carrying less body fat.

"There is convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. In postmenopausal women there is convincing evidence that body fatness also increases risk and there is evidence that regular physical activity probably reduces the risk of breast cancer."

She added: "What these figures show is that people can do a lot to reduce their chances of developing cancer and following WCRF's 10 Recommendations for Cancer Prevention will make a real difference. Overall, we estimate about a third of the most common cancers could be prevented through a healthy diet, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight."

WCRF recommends being as lean as possible without becoming underweight; be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day; limit alcoholic drinks, if consumed at all, to two a day for men and one a day for women.

Notes

- There were 47,635 new cases of breast cancer in 2008. WCRF estimates 42 per cent of breast cancer cases in the UK are preventable, resulting in around 20,000 preventable breast cancer cases for the year.

- The preventability estimates come from Preventability of Cancer by Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity, a paper published in WCRF report Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention.

- In this case, a healthy weight is defined as a Body Mass Index of 21 or below. WCRF recommends people aim to be as lean as possible without becoming underweight, with the healthy range defined as a BMI of between 18.5 and 25.

Source:
World Cancer Research Fund

Breakthrough Breast Cancer's comment

Dr Rachel Greig, Senior Policy Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: " This statistic isn't surprising because we already know living a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, a woman's lifestyle choices don't mean for certain that she will or won't get breast cancer because genetic and environmental factors can also play a part.

"Breast cancer is a complex disease which is why we're running the Breakthrough Generations Study to pinpoint the exact causes."

Source:
Breakthrough Breast Cancer