THE NUMBER OF women under the age of 50 to be diagnosed with breast cancer has exceeded 10,000 for the first time ever in the UK.

Statistics for 2010 released by Cancer Research UK has shown that those under 50 now account for approximately one in five of the near 50,000 women that are diagnosed each year.

Better treatments have resulted in a record low in deaths from the disease among this group, however.

The 10,000 under 50s diagnosed in 2010 represents a near 30 per cent increase on the approximately 7,700 women in the same group that were diagnosed in 1995.

This rise mirrors an overall increase in all ages over the 15-year period, which saw an increase of 18 per cent.

While it remains unclear as to why the rate of breast cancer is rising in those under 50, the research group believes that an increase in alcohol consumption along with hormonal factors such as having fewer children as well as having them later in life, coupled with an increase in the use of the contraceptive pill may be playing a role.

Read: Melanoma Awareness Month: 100 people die of melanoma every year in Ireland >