Dr Simon Vincent, director of research, support and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said:
“We have made incredible progress in the diagnosis and treatment of primary breast cancer. More people are recovering from the disease and living longer than ever, yet we don't fully understand why breast cancer cells can remain dormant in some women and reawaken many years later.
“We need new treatments so we can stop this from happening. This promising study gives vital clues into how cancer cells evade treatment and survive in an inactive state, and we look forward to seeing how this will inform future research.
"Breast Cancer Now has recently committed to funding up to £1 million of research into dormancy, and we hope that the findings from that research, alongside those published today, will help ensure people who have been treated for breast cancer are able to live happy, healthy lives without fear of the disease coming back."