197,000 UK lives saved thanks to breast cancer advances
Almost 200,000 UK deaths from breast cancer have been averted since the late 80s, according to a new report.
Experts said that changes in how cancer is detected, diagnosed and treated have 'all been essential to these improvements'.
Overall, 1.5 million cancer deaths in the UK have been prevented since 1989, according to a new study predicting European cancer deaths in 2025.
But there will still be 173,300 cancer deaths overall in the UK this year, academics said.
Most cancer deaths among men in the UK in 2025 will be due to bowel; lung and prostate cancers.
While most cancer deaths among UK women will be due to bowel; lung and breast cancers.
Breast cancer deaths in the UK in 2025 will be lower than those observed in 2020 – with 11,400 women expected to die from breast cancer this year compared to 11,547 deaths in 2020.
The UK is also estimated to buck the trend when it comes to breast cancer deaths among elderly women – with deaths among over 80s attributed to breast cancer expected to rise in many European countries but fall in the UK.
Carlo La Vecchia, professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Milan in Italy, said: 'Elderly women are not covered by screening and probably are less favourably affected by the substantial advances in breast cancer management, including improvements in chemo and hormone therapy, but also in radiotherapy and surgery.
'The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity over the last few decades in most of northern and central Europe has led to an increased risk of breast cancer.
'In the elderly, this has not been counter-balanced by improved diagnosis and management. This accounts for the increased mortality in people aged 80 and over.'
In England, all women aged 50 to 71 are invited for breast cancer screening every three years.
Prof La Vecchia added: 'We estimate that between 1989 and 2025, 373,000 breast cancer deaths have been avoided in the EU and 197,000 in the UK.
'Most of these are due to improved management and therapy, but 25-30% are likely to be attributable to more widespread screening and early diagnosis.
'Given that breast cancer is now a largely curable cancer that requires modern integrated approaches, it is essential that all diagnoses of breast cancer are referred to comprehensive cancer centres, which can offer the complete range of therapies that might be required.
'As indicated by the unfavourable trends in elderly women, control of overweight and obesity is a priority now, not only for cardiovascular diseases, but also for cancer, including breast cancer.'
Commenting, Jon Shelton, Cancer Research UK's head of cancer intelligence, said: 'Breast cancer mortality rates have fallen substantially in the UK since the early 1970s, and it's extremely positive to see that trend continue.
'Breakthroughs in how we detect, diagnose and treat the disease have all been essential to these improvements.
'Studies like this showcase the power of science, and if the UK Government's upcoming national cancer plan for England prioritises reform and investment in cancer services and getting research and innovation into care, we'll see even more improvements for people affected by cancer.'
Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, head of research communications and engagement at Breast Cancer Now, said: 'It's reassuring that this research suggests that nearly 197,000 deaths from breast cancer have been avoided in the UK in the last 37 years across women of all ages.
'This could be due to a combination of increased awareness and improvements in cancer detection and treatment. But the stark reality is that 11,500 women still die from this devastating disease each year in the UK, making research into how we better diagnose and treat breast cancer more needed than ever.
'Most breast cancers (80%) occur in women aged over 50, and a quarter (25%) of cases are diagnosed in women aged 75 and over.
'It's crucial that all women regularly check their breasts and get to know their 'normal'.'
Dame Cally Palmer, national cancer director at NHS England, said: 'It's incredibly encouraging that deaths from breast cancer in the UK are continuing to fall as a result of improved early diagnosis and treatment.
'We know a third of women don't take up their invites for the scans which can detect cancer earlier, when treatment has the best chance of success – so I'd urge anyone who receives an invite to book a potentially life-saving appointment for NHS breast cancer screening.'
The new review, by a team of international researchers, also predicts small reductions in lung cancer deaths for both men and women in the UK.
But bowel cancer deaths are expected to increase from the absolute numbers in 2020, according to the new study, which has been published in the journal Annals of Oncology.
Pancreatic cancer deaths are also expected to rise, according to the estimates.
Prof La Vecchia said: 'Trends in cancer mortality continue to be favourable across Europe, however, there are a few negative indications – these include deaths from bowel cancer in people younger than 50, which have started to increase in the UK and several central and northern Europe countries, mainly due to increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in the young who are not covered by colorectal cancer screening.
'In addition, death rates from pancreatic cancer are not decreasing in the EU, and it is now the fourth cause of cancer death in Europe after lung, colorectal and breast cancer.
'Death rates from lung cancer are starting to level off but not yet to decrease in EU women. The trends in pancreatic and female lung cancer underline the urgency of implementing stricter tobacco control across Europe.'
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I sense myself veering into a defense of seed oils as I watch the larger MAHA movement gain popularity, which feels like defending the Coca-Cola Company, or fossil fuels. The naming and shaming of seed oils is an attempt to correct a very real problem in American foodways: that so much of our diet consists of ultra-processed food made by corporations that prioritize profit over quality. Most U.S. residents' omega-6 intake is due to an increased reliance on fast food and pre-packaged food like bread, frozen meals, and sweetened breakfast cereal that use hydrogenated seed oils to remain shelf-stable. So of course there's a draw to restaurants that advertise organic, nutrient-rich ingredients and reject things like mass-produced canola oil. It's also telling that so many restaurateurs came to reject seed oils after finding few answers for their ailments within the U.S. medical establishment. Christy Harrison, author of The Wellness Trap , noted in an interview with The Cut that conditions like chronic fatigue, and those that disproportionately affect women like endometriosis and PCOS, 'have been historically contested and therefore under-funded' by the conventional healthcare system. This disconnect between the medical establishment and many patients makes the wellness space ripe for promoting individual solutions to collective problems. 'American individualism and capitalism fit right in with wellness culture,' says Harrison. 'Our health care system makes so many people feel dismissed and unheard, and they feel the need to take things into their own hands.' Indeed, one of the key components of the MAHA movement is the idea that health is an individual responsibility. It's what's behind RFK Jr. saying that 'only very sick kids should die from measles' while questioning the proven efficacy of the measles vaccine, or TV personality and current administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Oz saying on Fox News that 'it is your patriotic duty to be as healthy as you can.' Ultimately, it's nobody's business if you stock your pantry with organic avocado oil instead of corn oil, or if you choose to only frequent restaurants that don't use seed oils. The restaurateurs I spoke to nearly all said they wanted to be one more option in the seed oil-free community, a place where people at any stage of fighting the same health concerns as them, or people just wanting a meal made with high-quality ingredients, could eat and enjoy themselves. Now that 'seed oil' as a phrase has broken containment within MAHA circles, it's more likely that restaurants will use the label to stand out among competitors, and diners will see it as a trendy buzzword, like 'farm to table' or 'artisanal,' without any other associations. After all, it is not a problem to use olive oil in your aioli, or to cook things in beef tallow (unless you're vegetarian). Those choices don't solve these wider problems of access and health. But that's never been the point of a restaurant. See More:
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These were the 'neutral' oils called for in so many recipes. They're the workhorse oils that could be whipped into a mayonnaise or heated to fry a chicken without adding any pesky, distinct flavor of their own. And while it is possible to get, for instance, sunflower oil mechanically cold-pressed from sunflower seeds, most seed oils in the grocery store are extracted with heat and chemical solvents. But like the '90s 'nonfat' craze or the great carb scare of 2003, seed oils have become the dietary concern du jour. Sites like Seed Oil Scout and Local Fats allow users to search for restaurants that are seed oil free, while Louisiana considers a new seed oil labeling law. More restaurants are noting that they're seed oil-free because more people are asking. The concern over seed oils is rooted in their higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation. Omega-6 fatty acids have become a larger part of the American diet over the course of the 20th century, specifically with massive increases in ingestion of soybean and canola oil since the 1980s. And there's the issue that most commercially available seed oils are highly processed foods, produced with chemical solvents like hexane. The EU limits how much residual hexane can be in seed oils, while the FDA does not monitor hexane residue at all. Phillips says that aside from it feeling 'natural,' the choice to use beef tallow at Massi's is about taste, not health. 'Eating large amounts of beef tallow every day is probably not great for your health either,' he says. Instead, Phillips hoped putting 'no seed oils' on social media and on the menu communicates that they're not using cheap, industrial ingredients, while also highlighting an ingredient choice that might differ from what people assume when they order a chicken Parm and a plate of fries. But in our broader political moment, 'no seed oils' has also become shorthand that signals a wider wellness ethos, though diners and restaurants may not agree on the same meanings. For some, seeing 'seed oil-free' may signal what Phillips intends, or a shared understanding of the risks of an omega-6 rich diet. Or perhaps they see a kindred spirit in a Make America Healthy Again agenda, and assume an adherence to a host of other ideas about 'health.' Though sources like the American Heart Association and Harvard Medical School say omega-6s pose no real risks, for some restaurateurs, omitting seed oils connects deeply to their own health journeys. Olga Estrella, founder of Cafe Largesse in Austin, Texas, says she had been struggling with PCOS, with doctors unable to prescribe her anything that helped. 'I don't know what blog I read, but it said seed oil may have something to do with the inflammation,' she says. So she cut it out of her diet. 'Obviously, there were many different components, but seed oil was one of the first things that I did. It wasn't overnight, but I noticed a huge reduction in my inflammation and brain fog.' She and husband Frank Rog figured that if they cooked this way at home, it's how they should cook at the restaurant. They use avocado oil, olive oil, and butter, and though the whole menu isn't seed oil-free, as some ingredients from vendors still use them, they make it clear they cater to a seed oil-free diet. And according to Rog, it's becoming easier by the day to find vendors who make their supplies without seed oils. Chef Deborah Williamson of James Provisions in Hurst, Texas, similarly sought answers after a health scare in 2016, back when she was operating her restaurant's first iteration, James, in Brooklyn. 'It really started me on this path of trying to figure out, What is health? ' she says. 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For many restaurateurs, avoiding seed oil is in line with a larger organic mission. Aydea also advertises that it uses organic, raw sugars and honeys, grass-fed and organic milk, and pasture-raised eggs. James Provisions also promotes that it's 'seasonal' and uses 'thoughtful sourcing.' Phillips says that even though his other concepts — Chip City and Somedays Bakery — don't advertise as being seed oil-free, 'premium products have always been something central to my thinking'; there, cookies and pastries are made with high-fat European butter. If quality is the point, this is one more way to signal it. 'Seed oils are one of the most unhealthy ingredients that we have in foods,' posted now-Secretary of Health and Human Services RFK Jr. in October 2024. 'We need to Make Frying Oil Tallow Again.' Kennedy's ascendance to office turbo-charged the anti-seed oil movement; he's threatened to ban seed oils and called for fast food restaurants to begin using beef tallow again to fry their food (which some have). Also, Casey Means, RFK Jr.'s new pick for Surgeon General, has been publicly outspoken about seed oils. And so the wariness around seed oils comes with a host of other beliefs common under the general umbrella of the MAHA movement. RFK Jr. has been outspokenly critical of vaccination, most recently saying there are 'problems' with the measles vaccine as unvaccinated children die of the disease for the first time in decades. He has supported debunked theories that childhood vaccines cause autism, and has promoted the falsehood that AIDS is caused by drug use and 'compulsive homosexual behavior.' Meanwhile, Means also frequently criticizes vaccines in her wellness newsletter, called birth control a 'disrespect of life,' and believes gluten causes mental illness. And as I wrote this, I received a press release for a four-part series from production company MAHA Films called Toxic Nation: From Fluoride to Seed Oils, How We Got Here, Who Profits, And What You Can Do , explicitly putting the rejection of seed oils within the purview of other health conspiracies. Should it matter what other people believe if you've found that cooking a certain way makes you feel better, or if you'd rather spend your money on local, organic olive oil than Crisco and Mazola? Ideally, no. Most restaurateurs I spoke to were adamant that their support of the anti-seed oil movement had nothing to do with politics; it was simply an extension of their beliefs regarding its health benefits. In the FAQ section of James Provisions' website, Williamson writes a fact followed by an opinion: 'Seed oils are highly processed, chemically treated, bleached, and deodorized. They don't belong on your plate or in your body.' 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Christy Harrison, author of The Wellness Trap , noted in an interview with The Cut that conditions like chronic fatigue, and those that disproportionately affect women like endometriosis and PCOS, 'have been historically contested and therefore under-funded' by the conventional healthcare system. This disconnect between the medical establishment and many patients makes the wellness space ripe for promoting individual solutions to collective problems. 'American individualism and capitalism fit right in with wellness culture,' says Harrison. 'Our health care system makes so many people feel dismissed and unheard, and they feel the need to take things into their own hands.' Indeed, one of the key components of the MAHA movement is the idea that health is an individual responsibility. It's what's behind RFK Jr. saying that 'only very sick kids should die from measles' while questioning the proven efficacy of the measles vaccine, or TV personality and current administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Oz saying on Fox News that 'it is your patriotic duty to be as healthy as you can.' Ultimately, it's nobody's business if you stock your pantry with organic avocado oil instead of corn oil, or if you choose to only frequent restaurants that don't use seed oils. The restaurateurs I spoke to nearly all said they wanted to be one more option in the seed oil-free community, a place where people at any stage of fighting the same health concerns as them, or people just wanting a meal made with high-quality ingredients, could eat and enjoy themselves. Now that 'seed oil' as a phrase has broken containment within MAHA circles, it's more likely that restaurants will use the label to stand out among competitors, and diners will see it as a trendy buzzword, like 'farm to table' or 'artisanal,' without any other associations. After all, it is not a problem to use olive oil in your aioli, or to cook things in beef tallow (unless you're vegetarian). Those choices don't solve these wider problems of access and health. But that's never been the point of a restaurant. See More:
