EPGBC - The European Parliamentary group on Breast Cancer

Breast cancer facts

Breast Cancer in Europe Fact Sheet

The facts below provide ample reason for breast cancer to be a main priority on the European Parliament's health-care agenda.

	One in nine women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
	In the European Union (EU-27) more than 330,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 90,000 die from it every year.
	The incidence of breast cancer is increasing.
	Breast cancer remains the main cause of death in women aged between 35 and 59.
	The number of younger women diagnosed is increasing: 35% are under 55 and 12% are under 45.
	According to WHO, mammography screening can reduce deaths from breast cancer by up to 35%.
	90% of all breast cancer cases could be cured if detected early and treated in quality assured specialist breast units.

* Statistics based on data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (www.iarc.fr)

Breast Cancer Incidence in the EU

In the European Union (EU-25) there are 269,570 new cases of breast cancer and 87,700 deaths due to breast cancer per year. The incidence rates for the EU countries are shown in the table below.

EU Member Countries	New cases per year	Deaths
Austria	4,635	1,637
Belgium	7,429	2,712
Cyprus	349	157
Czech Republic	5,132	1,953
Denmark	3,879	1,390
Estonia	546	252
Finland	3,609	838
France	41,957	11,643
Germany	55,689	17,994
Greece	4,543	1,569
Hungary	5,411	2,340
Ireland	1,874	688
Italy	36,634	11,345
Latvia	938	421
Lithuania	1,106	549
Luxembourg	282	75
Malta	231	94
Netherland	10,447	3,767
Poland	14,358	4,781
Portugal	4,309	1,542
Slovakia	1,880	820
Slovenia	966	400
Spain	15,855	5,914
Sweden	6,583	1,516
United Kingdom	40,928	13,303
Total	269,570	87,700

* Table Globocan 2002, IARC http://www-dep.iarc.fr