Breast Cancer Now is the UK's leading breast cancer charity and is committed to tackling the disease through research and support.
Our vision is that by 2050, everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live and be supported to live well.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world. Over 55,000 people are diagnosed every year in the UK alone and around 11,500 women and 85 men die from breast cancer in the UK.
Every 10 minutes someone hears the words ‘you have breast cancer’. Through combining the power of research and support, we’re there for anyone affected by the disease.
Our world-class researchers are working in labs across the UK to help us discover how to tackle secondary breast cancer, develop better treatments, prevent and diagnose breast cancer early and improve people’s quality of life.
Over 600,000 people are living with or beyond the breast cancer in the UK and we are here to support with our helpline, health information and support services for patients and their loved ones.
How Syncona is helping to help us to understand more about secondary breast cancer
Thanks to research over the last decade, we now know that some breast cancer cells can lay inactive, undetected, and unaffected by treatments for many years before reawakening and leading to secondary breast cancer. We are now better equipped with scientific knowledge and new research methods to tackle this problem and find new opportunities to stop more women from dying.
Most scientists agree that those ‘sleeping’ cancer cells are ‘awakened’ by as yet unknown processes, which cause them to grow and emerge as recurrent, metastatic disease. Our challenge now is to understand what these processes are and how we can stop them and find better ways to identify patients who would benefit from extended treatment, which may include detecting the presence of inactive disease.
With support from Syncona, we are funding a research programme which will focus on addressing dormancy and late recurrence of breast cancer and further our knowledge and understanding of why breast cancer can recur many years after a primary diagnosis.
Patricia’s story
Patricia was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2007. After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy she went on to celebrate her 5-year all-clear anniversary. And continued her medication for another 9 years.
In 2019, Patricia started to experience pain in her hips and joints. She was told it was a side effect of the medication she was taking but in September 2021, Patricia was diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer.
Patricia wasn’t aware of the risk of cancer returning or the symptoms of secondary breast cancer she felt that had she known more about the symptoms, she would have been able to self-advocate more effectively.
Driven by a selfless passion and determination to make a difference for those who come after her, Patricia devoted the last 18 precious months of her life to working with Breast Cancer Now to drive change for people affected by secondary breast cancer. With support from Syncona, we are determined to understand more about secondary breast cancer and to bring about the change that we need to see for people affected.
