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What's our secondary breast cancer research about?
Our research has 1 main goal. To stop secondary breast cancer in its tracks.
It covers many different areas. From improving our understanding of secondary breast cancer and developing better treatments. To improving the care and support services for people living with it.
Right now, some of the brightest minds in breast cancer research are making progress in every aspect of secondary breast cancer.
Secondary breast cancer research facts
How many people are affected?
We estimate that around 61,000 people are living with incurable secondary breast cancer in the UK. And in around 5% of women, breast cancer has already spread by the time it's diagnosed.
How much research do we fund?
Right now, we’re funding £5.3 million worth of research into secondary breast cancer. And we hope breakthroughs from our research into other areas of breast cancer will also benefit people with secondary breast cancer in the future.
Our total investment in research
To date, we've invested around £284 million in world-class breast cancer research. All to discover how we tackle secondary breast cancer, prevent and diagnose breast cancer earlier, find better treatments and improve people’s quality of life.
Why do we need research into secondary breast cancer?
Breast cancer is affecting more of us than ever before. And each month in the UK, around 1,000 people die from secondary breast cancer. That’s someone dying every 45 minutes.
For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why breast cancer spreads around the body. For people living with secondary breast cancer, it could be life-changing. We need to understand the disease better to give them and their loved ones more time. We need to treat it better. We need research. That's why we’re investing in groundbreaking science.
If there was more research around secondary breast cancer, more of us could probably live for a lot longer.
Emma, living with secondary breast cancer
Our secondary breast cancer research projects
Testing new drug combinations
Professor Penelope Ottewell is testing new combinations of drugs to treat breast cancer that’s spread to the bone. She hopes this work could eventually lead to new treatments for people with secondary breast cancer.
Studying how breast cancer spreads
Dr Damir Varešlija is looking at how gene switches in breast cancer cells might make them more likely to spread to the brain. He hopes to find ways to stop this from happening.
Our other research projects
See all our research projects focused on secondary breast cancer happening right now.
Our secondary breast cancer research achievements
Finding more effective treatments
Our research discovered that people with secondary triple negative breast cancer with BRCA gene changes can benefit more from carboplatin chemotherapy than standard treatment - stopping their cancer growing for longer.
Potential new drug for lobular breast cancer
Our research revealed that the lung cancer drug crizotinib could help treat some secondary lobular breast cancers. Our clinical trial to test the benefits of this for women with secondary cancer is underway.
Our top achievements
We've been funding research into secondary breast cancer for over 2 decades. See the difference it’s making.
Support our research into secondary breast cancer
If secondary breast cancer affects you or the ones you love, our research could help buy more time.