Help us fight breast cancer - Letters for May 19
A publicity shot that dates from May 6, 2000 at Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire. Hugely successful pop girl band B*Witched huddle in fear before braving the new Apocalypse free fall ride at its launch. The ride was a major new development at the popular theme park and zoo.
Help us fight breast cancer
Since 1999, researchers at the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research have been delivering life-changing breakthroughs in breast cancer treatment and prevention.
From uncovering new ways to treat breast cancer that are transforming thousands of people’s lives a year, to revealing that a blood test can detect breast cancer coming back months earlier than hospital scans, our scientists have been at the forefront of breast cancer research breakthroughs for 25 years.
These extraordinary advances are only possible due to the generosity and commitment of our supporters, and I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your continued support.
In the 1990s, three in 20 women diagnosed with early invasive breast cancer would die from the disease within five years. Thanks to improvements in diagnosis and treatment, it’s now one in 20.
Yet despite this incredible progress, too many people are diagnosed too late and are enduring side effects of treatment that can be gruelling. And those with incurable secondary breast cancer still face the frightening reality of limited treatment options.
The stark reality is that 11,500 women and 90 men still die from this devastating disease each year in the UK. Identifying through research how we better diagnose and treat breast cancer is vital to us changing this.
We’re on the brink of discoveries that will further transform how we understand and treat breast cancer. New developments that harness the power of the immune system to kill cancer cells, and artificial intelligence (AI) could help us discover new ways to treat the disease. But none of this is possible without continued investment.
