What are the key statistics about breast cancer?

What are the key statistics about breast
cancer?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin
cancers. About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during
their lifetime.
The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for
2013:
· About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
· About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is noninvasive
and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
· About 39,620 women will die from breast cancer
After increasing for more than 2 decades, female breast cancer incidence rates began
decreasing in 2000, then dropped by about 7% from 2002 to 2003. This large decrease
was thought to be due to the decline in use of hormone therapy after menopause that
occurred after the results of the Women's Health Initiative were published in 2002. This
study linked the use of hormone therapy to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart
diseases. Incidence rates have been stable in recent years.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by
lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman's death is
about 1 in 36 (about 3%). Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about
1989, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to
be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as
improved treatment.
At this time there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
(This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.)
Survival rates are discussed in the section “How is breast cancer staged?”