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A new study suggests that one in five breast cancer patients may be at risk of the disease returning. The findings are presented this week at the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) conference in Birmingham.
The study looked at 1,000 breast cancer patients diagnosed since 1999 from the Yorkshire area. Of those, 22% subsequently developed breast cancer for a second time.
Dr Rachel Greig, Senior Policy Officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: “We welcome this study as a useful first step towards knowing how many breast cancer patients might experience a recurrence of their disease. It is vital to know how many patients’ breast cancer are likely to return to allow the NHS to better plan and provide for their needs.
“We may need further studies from different parts of the country before we can accurately say what the true rate of breast cancer recurrence is nationally.”
The study was conducted at St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds.