2008 U.S. Breast Cancer Fact Sheet

• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.
  
• An estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the
  United States during 2007.
  
• In addition to invasive breast cancer, 62,030 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur
  among women during 2007. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) accounted for 85 percent of these in situ
  breast cancers.
  
• An estimated 2,030 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2007.
  
• Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.
  
• An estimated 40,460 women will die from breast cancer in 2007.
  
• An estimated 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2007.
  
• Breast cancer death rate has been dropping about 2 percent annually since 1990 to 2002 in all women
  combined, with larger decreases in younger (<50 years) women, a decline attributed to earlier detection
  through screening, increased awareness, and improved treatment.
  
  Cancer Facts & Figures 2008, ACS
  
• One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States.
  
• The relative survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer are:
  • 88 percent at 5 years after diagnosis
  • 80 percent after 10 years
  • 71 percent after 15 years
  • 63 percent after 20 years
    
• The five year relative survival rate for women with localized breast cancer (cancer that has not spread to
  lymph nodes or other locations outside the breast) has increased from 80 percent in the 1950s to over 95
  percent (98 percent) in 2007.
  
• The five year survival rate for regional disease is 83 percent and 26 percent for distantstage
  disease.
  
• The relative survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40 are slightly lower.
  • 82 percent for women younger then 40
  • 89 percent for women aged 4074
  • 88 percent for women aged 75 and older
    
• African American women are less likely to survive five years than white women, 76 percent vs. 90 percent respectively.
  
• The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.
  Susan G. Komen for the Cure Brand Central Guidelines Page 1 of 2--Printed: 02 May 2007
  
• Approximately five to ten percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.
  
• A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. In the United States, a woman has
  about a 13.2 percent, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
  
• Incidence trends of breast cancer for all races are as follows:
  • 1975-1980: Incidence was essentially constant
  • 1980-1987: Incidence increased by almost 4 percent per year
  • 1987-2002: Incidence rates increased by 0.3 percent per year
    
• For the period 1998-2002, women ages 20-24 have the lowest incidence rate (1.3 cases per 100,000
  population); women ages 75-79 have the highest incidence rate (496.6 cases per 100,000).
  
• During 1998-2002, the median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis was 61 years old.
  
• From 1980-1987, incidence rates of invasive breast cancer increased among women aged 40-49
  and 50 and older (3.5 percent and 4.2 percent per year respectively). Since then, breast cancer incidence rates have increased among women aged 50 and older, though at a slower rate. Incidence rates have declined slightly among women aged 40-49 and little change among women younger then 40.
  
• Rapid incidence increase between 1980 and 1987 is due largely to greater use of mammography
  screening and increased detection of breast cancers.
  
• During 1980-1987,
  incidence rates of smaller tumors ≤ 2.0 cm more than doubled. Rates of larger tumors
  (3.0 cm or more) decreased 27 percent.
  
• During 1988-1999, the trend in diagnosis of smaller tumors ≤ 2.0 cm increased by 2.1 percent per year
  and has stabilized since.
  
• During 1992-2000, African American women were less likely to be diagnosed with smaller tumors (≤ 2.0 cm) and more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors (2.15.0 and >5.0 cm) than white women.
  
• White women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women after age 35.
  However, African American women have a slightly higher incidence rate before age 35 and are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age.
  
• During 1992-2002, overall incidence rates increased in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (1.5 percent per year), decreased in American Indian/Alaska Natives (3.5 percent per year) and did not change significantly for Caucasians, African Americans or Hispanics/Latinas.
  
• Mortality trends of breast cancer for all races are as follows:
  • 1975-1990: Mortality rate increased by 0.4 percent per year
  • 1990-2002: Mortality rate decreased by 2.3 percent per year
    
• From 1990-2002, death rates decreased by 3.3 percent per year among women younger than 50 and by
  2.0 percent per year among women 50 and older.
  
• From 1990-2002, breast cancer death rates declined by 2.4 percent per year in whites, 1.8 percent in
  Hispanics/Latinas, 1.0 percent ion African Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and did
  not decline in American Indian/Alaska Natives.
  
• African Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer of any racial/ethnic group in the United
  States.
  
• Since 2002, death rates have been 37 percent higher in African Americans than in white women.
  
• The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33 (3 percent).
  
• Ninety-five percent of new cases and 98 percent of breast cancer deaths reported during 1996-2002
  occurred in women ages 40 and older.
  
  Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2005-2006, ACS
  
• In the United States today, there are more than two million breast cancer survivors.
  Data source: 2004 Submission. U.S. Prevalence counts were estimated by applying U.S. populations to SEER-9 Limited Duration Prevalence proportions. Populations from January 2002 were based on the average of the July 2001 and July 2002 population estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Census. See graphical data here. National Cancer Institute. American Cancer Society, Surveillance Research, 2004.