One in every nine women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in her life - more than 41,000 cases are diagnosed each year.
It has become the most common cancer in the UK, and is the leading cause of death for women aged 34 to 54.
Despite recent improvements in the mortality rates, due to better treatments and earlier detection, the UK still has one of the highest mortality rates in the world.
But research is beginning to reap dividends in new ways of understanding how breast cancer cells work.
breast cancer
A survivor's story: Breast cancer
Natalie Boston was 26 when she found what every woman dreads - a breast lump.
Most lumps turn out to be benign - or caused by an infection, but doctors urge women to be aware of any changes, so that any cancer can be caught early.
Natalie, from London, was treated with aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy and later needed a single mastectomy - but is happy with the reconstructive surgery that followed.
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