Breast Cancer
In Britain, one woman in 17 will get breast cancer. Although it's one of the most common of the serious diseases in women, there is widespread ignorance of its true nature and the way doctors approach its treatment.
The vast majority of women who discover lumps in their breasts will find they are harmless, but the few who have cancer and are given swift treatment can feel that it all happens too quickly for them to learn the full facts. In an attempt to explain the disease and the different approaches to its treatment, this report looks at the various techniques using surgery, radiotherapy and drugs, and the way they each affect patients.
Jenny Conway and Nick Ross explore the dilemmas facing both patients and medical experts, so that women can decide for themselves just how far they should be involved in the decisions that have to be made about treatment.
Producer DAVID FILKIN Editor TIM SLESSOR