A type of cell could help warn women whether their breast cancer is likely to return, according to a new study. Changes in the cell's genetic material could pave the way to stopping a new tumour from growing, say scientists.
Breast cancer affects one in seven women in the UK and is responsible for 11,500 deaths every year. While treatments are available, including chemotherapy and surgery, the cancer often comes back months, sometimes years later.
Now scientists in the United States have identified a number of factors which could help predict whether it will grow back. Study author Professor Priscilla Furth, of Georgetown University Medical Centre, said: "About one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the developed world.
