Why Step Out?
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Each year nearly 48,000 women and 300 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK and around 1,000 women die from the disease every month. We want to change this.
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Where does my money go?
Our research work looks to eradicate breast cancer in the future whilst our campaigning and influencing work looks to address the needs of patients today. None of our work would be possible without our supporters and here are some of the breakthroughs they have helped to achieve:
- We've recruited over 100,000 women to the Breakthrough Generations Study so we can find the causes of breast cancer. Ultimately we want to eradicate breast cancer and to do that we need to know its causes, so we're conducting the world's largest, most comprehensive study into the causes of breast cancer. The findings will help to ensure that future generations can live free from the fear of the disease.
- We've pinpointed how cancers find ways to resist drug treatment We can save more lives by improving existing treatments. We've found some of the factors that prevent common drugs like tamoxifen and Herceptin from working. And we're discovering how to overcome this problem – important work that could help thousands of patients live longer and healthier lives.
- We've developed a "new generation" targeted drug that could be effective for a third of all breast cancer patients. Our research led to the first ever patient trial for a drug that uses an intelligent new approach to kill cancer cells. Following its success, dozens of similar trials have been set up around the world. This means a large number of patients stand to benefit from our discoveries. But the story doesn't end there, recently our scientists have found that the drug could potentially be an effective treatment for up to 80% of breast, prostate, melanoma (skin), endometrial (womb) and colon cancers. These exciting results show that tens of thousands of cancer patients could benefit from our research.
- At Breakthrough, we've been campaigning since 2003 to ensure that all women referred by their GP to a breast specialist wait no longer than two weeks for an appointment. Thanks to our campaigning, in its 2007 Cancer Reform Strategy, the Government recognised patients' concerns and made a commitment to meeting the two-week target for all patients referred with breast problems across England by 1st January 2010.
Looking to the Future
But we don't want to stop here. We believe in a future free from the fear of breast cancer. A future where breast cancer will no longer be a life threatening disease. A future where every patient will receive personalised treatment. And ultimately, to a future where breast cancer has been eradicated.
By Stepping Out you are helping to make this possible. Thank You!
