Breast cancer by numbers.. To help you get to grips with the disease, here's a breakdown of all the essential figures you need to know.. By Claire O'Boyle.

Byline: Claire O'Boyle

125 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every day. That's more than 45,500 per year.

300 British men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information Dr Lesley Walker says: "Men should be aware it is possible to get breast cancer, but should not worry as it is so rare. Men should report anything unusual to their doctor."

1,425 lives are saved by the NHS breast cancer screening programme in England every year.

66% is the increased risk of getting breast cancer for women currently using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) 1mwomen are diagnosed with breast cancer around the world each year.

50% more people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK now than they were 25 years ago. "Women are living longer and breast cancer is primarily a disease of old age and risk increases with age," says Dr Walker. "But lifestyles have also changed. Women having fewer children and having them later in life is also a risk factor, as is HRT, obesity and alcohol."

80% is the increased chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer if your mother, sister or daughter has had the disease.

12,000 women die from breast cancer in the UK every year. "While this is still far too high it has fallen, deaths peaked in 1989 when 15,625 women died from the disease," says Dr Walker.

30% is how much obesity can add to the risk of getting postmenopausal breast cancer.

90is the number of men who die from breast cancer every year in the UK.

80% of breast cancers are found in women aged 50 and over.

2nd most common cause of death from cancer in women, after lung cancer. "All women should be breast aware and go for screening when invited, whether or not there is any history of the disease in their family," says Dr Walker.

25% is the increased risk of breast cancer for women using oral contraceptives.

1,300 women under 50 die from breast cancer every year in the UK.

33% fewer people have died from breast cancer than at the peak in the late 1980s. Dr Walker says: "Two thirds of women diagnosed with breast cancer can expect to live at least 20 years. In the early 1990s only 54% could expect to live at least 10 years."

12% is the added risk of getting breast cancer if you drink as little as one unit of alcohol a day.

8 in 10 breast cancer patients live beyond five years, up from 5 in 10 in the 1970s.

90% of women diagnosed with stage one breast cancer survive beyond five years. This drops to around 10% diagnosed with stage four.