Breast Cancer Fact Sheet
- About 1 in 8 U.S. women — a little less than 12% — will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
- In 2011, an estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed, along with 57,650 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. About 39,520 women were expected to die in 2011 from breast cancer, though there has been a decrease in death rates since 1990, with larger decreases in women under 50. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advancements, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
- For women in the United States, breast cancer death rates are higher than death rates for any other type of cancer, besides lung cancer.
- Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers diagnosed in women are breast cancers.
- White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than African-American women. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women. Overall, African-American women are more llkely to die of breast cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
- As of 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
- A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
- Less than 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member who has been diagnosed with it.
- About 5-10% of breast cancers are thought to be caused by inherited gene mutations (abnormal changes passed through families).
- Mutations of the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes are the most common. Women with this mutation have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, often at a younger age than it typically develops.
- An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).
- As of Jan. 1, 2009, there were about 2,747,459 women alive in the United States with a history of breast cancer. This includes women being treated and women who are disease-free.
Source: American Cancer Society
