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Breast Cancer Facts and Statistics

Posted on 8/20/2011 by ridoscoot


It would not be surprising, therefore, that any ailment or condition that endangers the look, health and functionality of this vital body part would be a real source of worry to every lady.

Breast cancer, despite all medical and technological advances, as been on the rise in the last 50 years or so. The figures that stare us in the face when we check the records are quite alarming. But, there is no running away from these figures, they are real.

It's alarming but it is true that there's more breast cancer now than ever before. It is true that between 1979 and 1986 the incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States alone has increased 29 percent among white women and 41 percent among black women, and incidences of all breast cancers doubled. It's true that despite yearly mammograms and advanced medical and diagnostic technology the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has remained virtually unchanged over the past 50 years, and that every 12 minutes throughout the last half of the 20th Century another woman died of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women, after lung cancer. Approximately 39,970 women and 450 men in the U.S. will die of the disease in 2011 (ACS, 2011).
Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. An estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women in 2011. In addition to invasive cancers, 57,650 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in situ, approximately 49,003 of which will be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Approximately 2,140 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed among U.S. men (ACS, 2011).
The incidence of breast cancer declined from 1999 to 2003, the biggest decline among white women. Incidence rates have remained relatively stable since 2003 (SEER, 2011).
According to the SEER data from 2001-2007, approximately 90% of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer were still alive five years after contracting the disease among black women, approximately 77% were still alive five years after getting disease (SEER, 2011).
Older women are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women. From 2004-2008, the average age of diagnosis of breast cancer was 61 years old. Approximately 0.0% were diagnosed before the age of 20, 1.9% from 20 to 34, 10.2% between 35 and 44, and 22.6% from 45 to 54, 24.4% between 55 and 64 to 19.7% between 65 and 74, 15.5% between 75 and 84 and 5.6% + 85 years old. (SEER, 2011).
The combination of all age groups, white (not Hispanic) women are more likely to develop breast cancer than black women. However, black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women (ACS, 2010).
Between 1994 and 2003, the mortality rate for women of all races combined declined by 2.4% annually. In white women, mortality from breast cancer decreased by 2.5% annually. In black women, mortality declined by 1.4% during the same period (NCI, 2006).
Mortality has decreased more rapidly in women under 50 years (3.2% per year), regardless of race / ethnicity (ACS, 2011).
Current treatment methods in use in the United States are surgery (mastectomy and lumpectomy), radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy (ACS, 2011).
Mammography does not prevent or cure breast cancer. It can detect the disease before the symptoms. It can also lead to over diagnosis and over treatment (Nelson et al, 2009).
Mammography screening has led to a dramatic increase in the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The diagnosis is relatively rare before the beginning of 1980 and the widespread use of mammography. Today, about a woman is diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ in four women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (Allegra et al, 2010).
All women are at risk for breast cancer. Only 5-10% of patients with breast cancer have inherited a mutation in the genes of known breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) and 90-95% of breast cancers do not have to do with these inherited mutations . (ACS 2010, NCI 2006).
Factors that increase a woman's risk of breast cancer are advanced age, genetic factors, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, long menstrual history, no parity (no children), over 30 years of age the first full-term pregnancy, daily alcohol consumption, use of combination therapy of postmenopausal hormone replacement (HRT), postmenopausal obesity, and ionizing radiation. Factors that decrease a woman's risk of breast cancer are breast-feeding and physical activity (exercise) (ACS, 2010).

No new data suggest that these risk factors have less influence among Hispanic women. According to the results of the Study of Breast Cancer 4 corners, Hispanic women with breast cancer were more likely than white women with breast cancer who have characteristics associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, such as younger age first birth, to have more children, lower hormone use and lower consumption of alcohol (Hines et al, 2010).

Increased breast density has been shown to be associated with risk of breast cancer. We found that the breast cancer rate was nearly four times higher in breast tissue with extremely dense compared with fatty breast tissue. It is important to remember that since mammography is less sensitive in detecting breast cancer in dense breasts, the effect of breast density may be somewhat underestimated (Barlow et al, 2006).

Studies on preventive chemotherapy agents tamoxifen and raloxifene were not adequately designed to determine their impact on the prevention of breast cancer in healthy women, nor enough time studies to assess long-term effects and side impact on mortality ( Vogel et al, 2010).


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