The Estee Lauder Companies Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is dedicated to raising awareness that early detection of breast cancer greatly enhances the chances of survival.

• the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 9 in the UK and 1 in 12 in Ireland

• 9 out of 10 breast lumps are benign

• breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK.

• In 2001 in the UK 40,790 cases were diagnosed in women and around 250 in men

• In Ireland there are approximately 1700 new cases per year, 14 affecting men

• breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the UK after lung cancer

• it is estimated that around 172,000 women alive in the UK have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 10 years

• 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over 50 (based on average age of menopause being 50) in the UK & Ireland

• earlier diagnosis and better treatment have led to a 20% fall in breast cancer mortality rates between 1993 – 2002 in the UK

• know what is normal for you

• know what changes to look for

• look and feel

• report any changes to your GP without delay

• attend routine breast screening if you are aged 50 or over