Breast cancer survival has increased in the last 50 years in the UK, and it is predicted that more than 3 in 4 (76.6%) females diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK survive their disease for ten years or more (2018). Five-year relative survival for breast cancer in women is below the European average in England, Wales and Scotland but similar to the European average in Northern Ireland.
For breast cancer, like other cancer sites, survival trends reflect a combination of changes in treatment and stage distribution. These factors themselves can vary by age, sex and deprivation.
Our data hubs below offer an in-depth breakdown of the most up to date cancer statistics.
*These statistics are aimed at supporting health professionals, academics, researchers and media. If you are a patient or carer, you may want to visit our public facing webpages.
Around 3 in 4 (76.2%) females in the UK diagnosed with breast cancer aged 15-44 survive their disease for ten years or more, compared with more than 1 in 2 (53.5%) females diagnosed aged 75-99 (2018).
Explore more detailed age stats on our data hub for breast cancer
More than 8 in 10 (82.6%) women diagnosed with breast cancer in the most deprived group in England survive their disease for five years or more, compared with 9 in 10 (89.6%) in the least deprived group (2018-2022).
Explore more detailed deprivation stats on our data hub for breast cancer
In the 1970s, more than 4 in 10 (42.0%) females diagnosed with breast cancer survived their disease beyond ten years, by 2018 it was more than 3 in 4 (76.6%).
Explore more detailed trends stats on our data hub for breast cancer
Breast cancer ten-year survival has increased in women in all broad age groups since the early 1970s.
Explore more detailed trends by age stats on our data hub for breast cancer
Almost 9 in 10 (87.7%) women diagnosed with breast cancer in England survive their disease for five years or more (2015-2019). For women who have already survived for one year, around 9 in 10 (90.7%) survive their disease for five years or more (2015-2019).
Explore more detailed conditional survival stats on our data hub for breast cancer
View our latest cancer statistics including key stats, in-depth explanations and raw data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, risk, and diagnosis and treatment.
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