Publications

Early diagnosis saves lives – the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed the better the chances of beating it. This is why our health promotion work is so important.

Breakthrough’s ‘Touch. Look. Check’ breast awareness message is a fundamental part of all our health promotion work and has been developed with involvement from the women we are working to support.

• Touch Look Check Mini Guide (134 kb)
• Touch Look Check Leaflet (143 kb)
• Touch Look Check A3 Poster (423 kb)

• The Best Treatment: Your guide to breast cancer treatment in England & Wales (1360 kb)

This free guide sets out how early breast cancer should be diagnosed and treated based on the latest available evidence, together with the experiences of women with breast cancer. This new edition contains additional information on the latest drugs and procedures.

• The Best Treatment: Your guide to breast cancer treatment in Scotland (1018 kb)

Brings together research and recommendations from professional national guidelines in Scotland with the experience of women with breast cancer.

Runner up of the 2008 Ask About Medicines Award for Improving communication about medicines between healthcare professionals and patients or medicine users.

• The Best Treatment: Your guide to UK services for people with a family history of breast cancer (2397 kb)

This free guide is for people with a family history of breast cancer. It sets out what a family history is and how your risk is assessed, including genetic testing options. It explains what breast screening is available to people at higher risk of breast cancer and ways to manage risk. It is based on the latest available evidence, together with the experiences of women with breast cancer.

There are many stories in the media about the possible causes of breast cancer and how to prevent it, but how do you know what is true?  How do our genes and bodies, our lifestyle and life choices and our surrounding environment affect breast cancer risk throughout our lives?

• Breast Cancer Risk: the facts (1169 kb)  - NEW EDITION

This free booklet is about risk factors for women who have not had breast cancer and aims to help you understand more about the latest research into breast cancer risk factors; both things which may increase your risk and things which may decrease it.

Winner of the 2007 BMA Patient Information Award and 2009 AMRC Science Communication Awards.

We’ve also produced a series of free A4 factsheets which summarise the research for specific risk factors for breast cancer. We have chosen to focus on risk factors related to lifestyle as well as other topics that people commonly ask us about.

Risk factors related to your lifestyle:

• Alcohol (675 kb)  - NEW EDITION
• Breastfeeding (742 kb) - NEW EDITION
• Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) (334 kb)
• Obesity (364 kb)
• The Pill (336 kb)
• Pregnancy (388 kb)  

Other topics that people ask us about:

• Deodorants (499 kb) - NEW EDITION
• Puberty and Menopause (343 kb)
• Soya and phyto-oestrogens (513 kb) - NEW EDITION

All of our publications are available free of charge within the UK. Please order online here, or please call our freephone Information Line on 08080 100 200.

We welcome feedback. Please email comments or queries to info@breakthrough.org.uk or call 08080 100 200.

All our health information is reviewed by appropriate experts and people affected by breast cancer.

If you would like more information about the sources of evidence on which particular content is based, please email info@breakthrough.org.uk or call 08080 100 200.

Best practice diagnostic guidelines for patients presenting with breast symptoms(1272 kb)

These free guidelines cover the process of diagnosis of patients referred by their GPs to hospital breast units for the assessment of breast symptoms. They are written for the benefit of all healthcare professionals involved in the management of breast disease, for patients and those who manage the provision, commissioning and funding of breast care services.

• PE&I Impact Report (734 kb)

• Breakthrough Magazine - Winter 2012 (1234 kb)
• Breakthrough Magazine - Summer 2011 (2039 kb)
• Breakthrough Magazine - Spring 2011 (1135 kb)
• Breakthrough Magazine - Winter 2010 (1637 kb)

A summary of the last 10 years of our research and policy work.

• Impact Report 2010 (1360 kb)