How we prepare information

Editorial policy

Breast Cancer Charity publishes desk-assessed health information and fundraising content for a UK and international audience. This page explains how that work is done, what we will never invent, and how money relates to editorial decisions.

Last updated: 2026-09-08 · 59+ clinical guides in the library

What is our editorial purpose?

Our purpose is to make breast cancer easier to understand and to explain how donations fund screening and treatment access in low-income communities. Educational pages help readers recognise symptoms, navigate NHS pathways and understand treatment language. Fundraising pages distinguish programme cost estimates from verified outcomes, explain that donations are pooled, and state our registration status.

How do we reach a verdict on a page?

Information pages begin with a clear answer and practical next steps. We explain medical terms, link to relevant sources and help readers choose which information to read next. Where we lack first-hand clinical experience, we say so: guides are desk-assessed against primary sources, not a substitute for a GP appointment.

Which sources do we trust?

Clinical claims are checked against NHS.uk, NICE, Breast Cancer Now, Macmillan, and Cancer Research UK summaries where they cite primary data, and WHO / IARC statistics for global burden. Every specific number on the site should carry a primary source and a capture or review date. If we cannot source a figure today, we do not publish it. “We do not know” is preferable to an invented statistic.

Who writes and who reviews?

Editorial Director Kaiser Khan oversees structure, provenance and fundraising accuracy for Breast Cancer Charity as an initiative of World Aid Network. An editorial source check is separate from independent clinical review. Where we record a source check, the page shows its date and next check due. A clinician is credited only for a particular page and content revision after their review is recorded; appointing a reviewer does not mark the whole site as medically reviewed. See the author page for the editorial role and background.

How is a guide made?

Our process is to identify current sources, write in plain English, check claims and questions against those sources, and record the scope and date of that check. The treatment, chemotherapy side effects, immunotherapy, pregnancy, pathology and fertility guides have individual source-check records. Older guides remain in the library with their content dates and sources while this more detailed review process is extended. No page is presented as independently clinically reviewed unless that review is recorded. Linking to NHS, NICE or charity information does not imply that those organisations endorse this website.

What money cannot buy

Donations do not influence health guidance, source selection or how treatment options are described. We do not sell sponsored placements inside educational content. When Stripe checkout is live, payment processing is disclosed; Gift Aid is not currently claimed; any future claims require HMRC recognition, eligible donations and valid declarations. Scores, rankings and clinical claims are firewalled from fundraising targets.

What triggers a correction?

We correct factual errors, outdated statistics, broken source links, and any wording that overstates charity registration or Gift Aid status. Corrections are logged on /corrections/ with the date and a short description of what changed. Contact [email protected] to report an error — we aim to acknowledge within five working days.

Composite stories and imagery

Patient stories labelled “composite” are representative narratives, not identifiable case files. Photographs used for atmosphere are generative or stock documentary images chosen for dignity; they are not presented as photographs of specific programme beneficiaries unless captioned as such.

Medical disclaimer

Nothing on this website is personal medical advice. If you notice a breast change, contact your GP or local emergency service as appropriate. For NHS symptom guidance see the NHS breast cancer pages. Our guides summarise publicly available information for education and fundraising context only.

Ownership and funding

Breast Cancer Charity is a campaign managed by World Aid Network, London (ICO ZC156579). Charity Commission registration is in progress. Site costs and programme work are funded by donations and organisational support from World Aid Network. Full legal wording appears in our privacy and terms pages; registration status is kept honest on /about/registration-status/.

Machine-readable surfaces

We publish llms.txt, Markdown mirrors, FAQPage structured data and a read-only MCP endpoint so answer engines can attribute us correctly. These summaries must reflect the same information and limitations as the pages people read.

How do we handle statistics and survival figures?

Global incidence and mortality figures are taken from WHO / IARC publications with the year named in copy. UK survival figures cite Cancer Research UK or NHS summaries that themselves point to national statistics. We do not invent “lives saved” counters. Programme impact counters stay at zero until partner reports are published — absence of a counter is not evidence of absence of work, and we say so on /your-impact/.

How do donation pages stay honest?

Donation tiers describe overseas programme pricing for screening, biopsy, therapy support and surgical access — not UK private clinic fees. When online checkout is not yet live, pages say so and offer phone/email routes via World Aid Network. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Stripe claims appear only when those rails are actually enabled. We never imply that a donation purchases a personal NHS mammogram appointment in the UK.

What is the relationship to World Aid Network?

Breast Cancer Charity is a named campaign of World Aid Network, a London-based humanitarian organisation. Legal address, phone and email on this site are World Aid Network contacts. Until Charity Commission registration completes, we describe status as “in progress” and avoid charity-number theatre. ICO registration for World Aid Network (ZC156579) is stated where privacy context matters.

Review cadence

Newly source-checked health guides have a next check due date, with earlier review needed if relevant guidance changes or a correction is reported. A due date describes the review target; it is not evidence that a later review has happened. Content modification dates and source-check dates describe different things. Sitemaps use content revision information; changing a layout does not count as a new medical source check. Our build checks detect changes to a guide after its recorded source check so its edited claims can be checked again. Thin utility pages (privacy, terms) may be shorter by design; flagship trust pages such as this policy aim for depth over brevity.

Accessibility and inclusive language

We write for a broad public reading age, avoid fear-mongering imagery, and use inclusive language for men with breast cancer and for communities facing cultural barriers to screening. Accessibility commitments are summarised on /accessibility/. Images require real alt text; decorative motion respects prefers-reduced-motion.

Who this policy is not for: readers seeking a personal diagnosis, or donors who want their gift to fund laboratory cancer research — that is outside our mission.