We are fundraisers, campaigners, researchers, believers. We are the people living with breast cancer, the families affected by breast cancer and the thousands determined to stop breast cancer. We are mothers, sisters, husbands, children, colleagues, friends.

We are Breast Cancer Now Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:46 -------------------------------------------- Introduce yourself and explain that you’d like to give them a brief introduction to our charity. We are Breast Cancer Now And we’re the force that’s going to stop breast cancer.

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:47 -------------------------------------------- Ask audience: were they aware that breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK? And did they know that more women are being diagnosed than ever before? This year, around 55,000 women and around 350 men will be told they have breast cancer. One in eight women in the UK will face breast cancer in their lifetime.

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:50 -------------------------------------------- Breast cancer touches the lives of well over half a million of us in the UK. For every woman or man who develops breast cancer, there are families, friends and loved ones who also feel the fear and uncertainty the disease brings. Well over half a million people living in the UK have experienced a diagnosis.

have experienced a diagnosis. Around 11,500 Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:53 -------------------------------------------- Research has made incredible progress, but despite all we’ve achieved, people are still dying from breast cancer – and they’re dying on a heart-breaking scale.   Nearly 1,000 people in the UK die from breast cancer every month. That’s one life every 45 minutes cut short by the disease. Almost all these deaths are caused by secondary breast cancer, where cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Nearl y 700,000 people living in the UK have experienced a diagnosis. Around 11,500 women and 80 men die from breast cancer every year in the UK.

We can’t live with that. It’s time to act.

One charity for everyone affected by breast cancer Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:53 -------------------------------------------- You could explain some of the benefits of merger here: From research to care, we have people affected by the breast cancer at our heart. United, we can carry out even more world-class research, provide even more life-changing support and campaign even more effectively for better services and care. One charity for everyone affected by breast cancer In April 2019, Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now united to create one charity. Support for today Hope for the future

We believe that if we all act now, by 2050, Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:53 -------------------------------------------- This core ambition guides everything we do – but it’ll take all of us, working together, to make it a reality. We believe that if we all act now, by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live – and receive the support they need to live well.

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:53 -------------------------------------------- Breast Cancer Now is the charity for all those affected by breast cancer, and all those working to end it. And together, we will do whatever it takes to create a world where everyone who develops breast cancer will live, and receive the support they need to live well. Our approach We bring together everyone affected by the disease and all those working to stop it: Supporting around 380 of the UK and Ireland’s brightest researchers Host helplines, support groups and more for all affected by breast cancer Public health campaigns that reach millions Hard-hitting policy work and campaigning on behalf of patients and their families

Our research portfolio includes: Our world-leading dedicated breast cancer research centre in London – the first of its kind in the UK The Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank – the UK’s largest unique collection of high-quality breast tissue, breast cells and blood samples from breast cancer patients The Breast Cancer Now Generations Study – one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive studies into the causes of breast cancer

Our research focuses on four critical areas Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:54 -------------------------------------------- We’re determined to fill every last gap in our understanding of the disease. We’re unafraid to ask the big questions – and we’ll work tirelessly to answer them. Our research focuses on four critical areas Risk and prevention Early detection and diagnosis Treatments Secondary breast cancer

Risk and prevention

If we can stop people developing breast cancer, by 2050, we believe Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:54 -------------------------------------------- You might like to talk about the Generations Study here: In 2004 we launched the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study, one of the world’s largest studies into the causes of breast cancer. Following more than 113,000 women over 40 years, our long term investment in the study is providing an unprecedented level of understanding about the risk factors and causes of breast cancer. If we can stop people developing breast cancer, by 2050, we believe everyone will live We know that someone’s chances of developing breast cancer are affected by a combination of our genes, lifestyle choices and events throughout life, and there is never one single cause of the disease. Now we need to understand how these different factors come together and how we can take this knowledge further to find the right way to help each individual woman keep her risk of developing breast cancer as low as possible.

Early detection and diagnosis

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:55 -------------------------------------------- Our simple, effective public health campaigns – such as our award-winning TLC – Touch Look Check campaign – are designed to give everyone impartial, evidenced information about breast cancer, its treatments, the signs and symptoms, and the risk factors for the disease. By arming women with the facts, we empower them to take action. You could also talk about the Tissue Bank for understanding the biology of breast cancer – the more we know about the disease, the better we can diagnose and treat it. Our Tissue Bank opened in 2012 as the UK’s first ever national breast cancer tissue bank. The Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank has collected over 52,000 samples from over 12,000 patients, which are now available to researchers. Over 10,000 of these samples have already been allocated to research projects. These samples are vital to helping our researchers understand in exact detail how breast cancer develops. If we can detect breast cancer earlier, by 2050, we believe everyone will live. We’ve seen that finding breast cancer early gives women the best chance of surviving it, and we’ve developed simple, memorable health messages to support that aim. Now we need to encourage everyone to be breast aware, ensure the screening programme works as effectively as possible and find innovative new ways to detect breast cancer earlier.

Treatments

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:57 -------------------------------------------- You could talk about some our research into treatments here – how we’re to make them more targeted and more effective, and to give women as many options as possible: We’ve repurposed drugs to help women with breast cancer. In early 2018, our scientist Professor Chris Lord made the news. While investigating breast cancer’s weaknesses, his team discovered that crizotinib, a drug already used to treat lung cancer, could be effective against 13% of all breast cancers. His research uncovered that lobular breast cancer cells carrying a specific genetic defect are susceptible to this drug due to their molecular make-up, and following on from these results Breast Cancer Now is funding a trial to test if the treatment will be effective in patients. We’ve also discovered a better treatment for triple negative breast cancer Professor Andrew Tutt, director of our research centre here in London, last year published landmark findings from his ‘Triple Negative Trial’ – which has been investigating which chemotherapy drugs are best for patients with triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer is a subtype of the disease which can be more aggressive and has limited treatment options. The trial has found that women who have advanced triple negative breast cancer and faults in their BRCA [Pronounced brac-ka] genes do much better on a chemotherapy drug called carboplatin than standard treatment. Because of this study, international clinical practice guidelines are due to change, ensuring that women with triple negative breast cancer who are young, or have a family history, can be tested for BRCA mutations and therefore given the best available treatment for them. Also mention our policy and campaigns work to Unlock Drugs: Research is making incredible strides forward in how we treat breast cancer, but we must ensure that all breast cancer patients can benefit from these advances as quickly as possible. The way that drugs are licensed and made available on the NHS isn’t working for women and men living with breast cancer, so we’re campaigning to change this. We are working with the Government, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry to bring about important reforms that will ensure we unlock drugs for everyone who needs them. If we can treat more breast cancers effectively, by 2050, we believe everyone will live. We have some effective treatments for breast cancer, but unfortunately they don’t work for everyone. If we are to stop breast cancer taking lives, we need to find treatments for all types of breast cancer and ensure that everyone receives the most suitable treatment for them. Now it’s time to find treatments that work for every type of breast cancer – particularly those hardest to treat, where options are currently limited.

Secondary breast cancer

Presenter 2019-06-04 14:04:58 -------------------------------------------- Breast Cancer Now is leading the way in secondary breast cancer research, and many of our researchers are focused entirely on this deadly stage of the disease. Right now, we are funding around a third of all breast cancer research in the UK, trying to understand why and how breast cancer spreads and becomes incurable. We’re also improving the quality of healthcare for patients with secondary breast cancer by understanding their needs and concerns through our Service Pledge. This initiative brings patients and healthcare professionals together to make practical improvements to the services and care offered by breast units for all breast cancer patients. If we can stop secondary breast cancer, by 2050, we believe everyone will live. We’ve refused to ignore secondary breast cancer – when the disease spreads to other parts of the body – which cuts short around 1,000 UK women’s lives each month. Now we must find ways to stop the disease in its tracks with treatments that give women back the time secondary breast cancer steals.

Research and support hold the key to a world where everyone who develops breast cancer lives – and lives well. With your help, by 2050, we believe we will live in that world.

But only if we all act now.

It’s time to come together. It’s time to support