(WOMENSENEWS)–CheersA leading British scientist says new research reveals that a vaccine or drug to prevent breast cancer is plausible, the Guardian reported Oct. 6. Valerie Beral, director of the cancer epidemiology unit of Oxford University, also urged the scientific community to turn its focus toward breast cancer prevention, where efforts are now minimal in comparison to the funding and research dedicated to breast cancer treatment.Beral leads the Million Women’s Study in Britain, which she says has now proven that breast cancer is caused by the absence of hormonal changes linked to childbirth. Because women have fewer children and breastfeed less than they did historically, breast cancer rates have risen as a result. Beral says a vaccine could be the end result of studying hormonal surges caused by childbirth and mimicking those effects, but research isn’t occurring.Death rates have dropped but the actual number of cases is increasing. In recent years, a growing body of U.S. studies have also revealed racial and income discrepancies that affect how women receive early treatments, which may play a role in breast cancer death rates.National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is October.