2008 U.S. Breast Cancer Fact Sheet

Incidence

• Except for skin cancers, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.
• Breast cancer accounts for more than 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed in women in the U.S.
• An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2008.
• In addition to invasive breast cancer, 67,770 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur among women during 2008. Of these, about 85 percent will be ductal carcinoma in situ.
• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) accounted for about 80 percent of in situ breast cancers diagnosed from 2000-2004.
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) accounted for about 10 percent of female in situ breast cancers diagnosed from 2000-2004.
• An estimated 1,990 new cases (1 percent of all breast cancers) of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2008.
• 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
  • 1987-2001: Incidence rates increased by 0.5 percent per year
  • 2001-2004: Incidence rates decreased by 3.5 percent per year
• 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 1988-2000, the trend in diagnosis of smaller tumors = 2.0 cm increased by 2 percent per year.
• Since 2000, the incidence rate of smaller tumors has declined by 3.8 percent per year. Yet, the incidence of larger tumors, (>5.0cm) has increased since 1992 by 1.7 percent per year.
• During 2001-2004, breast cancer incidence rates among white women declined an average of 3.7 percent per year. The decline is likely due to lower rates of mammography and decreased use of HRT.
• 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.
• One every three minutes is derived from the following equation:
  • 365 days/yr X 24 hr/day X 60 min/hr = 525,600 minutes in each year
  • 525,600 / 182,460 women diagnosed/yr = 2.88 = 3
  • One woman every three minutes is diagnosed with breast cancer.
• One every thirteen minutes is derived from the following equation:
  • 365 days/yr X 24 hr/day X 60 min/hr = 525,600 minutes in each year
  • 525,600 / 40,480 women die/yr = 12.96 = 13
  • One woman every 13 minutes dies from breast cancer

Mortality

• Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.
• An estimated 40,480 women will die from breast cancer in 2008.
• An estimated 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2008.
• Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing since 1990.
  • Between 1975-1990, the death rate for all races combined increased by 0.4 percent annually.
  • Between 1990-2004, the rate decreased by 2.2 percent annually.
  • From 1990-2004, death rates decreased by 3.3 percent per year among women younger then 50 and by 2 percent per year among women 50 and older.
  • Decline in mortality likely due to improvements in treatment and early detection.

Survival

• Currently, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the United States today.
• The relative survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer are:
  • 89 percent at 5 years after diagnosis
  • 81 percent after 10 years
  • 73 percent after 15 years
• For all races, 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 84 percent and 27 percent for distant-stage 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 40 and older

Age

• A woman’s chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. In the United States, a woman has about a 12 percent, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
• During the early 1980s, incidence rates of invasive breast cancer increased among both women aged 50 and older and those younger than 50. (5.8 percent and 2.9 percent per year respectively). Among women aged 50 and older, incidence rates continued to increase at a much slower rate during 1986-2001 and have since been declining sharply (4.8 percent per year). Among women younger than 50, incidence has remained stable.
• For the period 2000-2004, women ages 20-24 had the lowest incidence rate- 1.4 cases per 100,000.
• For the period 2000-2004, women ages 75-79 have the highest incidence rate- 464.8 cases per 100,000.
• During 2000-2004, the median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis was 61 years old.

Specific Populations

• White women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women after age 40. However, African American women have a higher incidence rate before age 40 and are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age.
• During 1992-2004, incidence rates decreased in American Indian/Alaska Natives (1.5 percent per year) and did not change significantly among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders or Hispanics/Latinas.
• From 1998-2000, African American women were less likely to be diagnosed with smaller tumors (= 2.0 cm) and more likely to be diagnosed with larger tumors (2.1-5.0 and >5.0 cm) than white women.
• From 1995-2004, breast cancer death rates declined by 2.4 percent per year in whites, and Hispanics/Latinas, 1.6 percent in African Americans and no change for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and American Indian/Alaska Natives.
• African Americans have the highest death rate from breast cancer of any racial/ethnic group in the United States. The disparity in breast cancer death rates between African American and white women began in the early 1980s and by 2004, death rates were 36 percent higher in African Americans than in white women.
• African American women are less likely to survive five years than white women, 77 percent vs. 90 percent respectively.

Risk Factors

• The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.
• 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.
• Women with BRCA1 mutations are estimated to have a 65 percent risk for developing breast cancer by age 70; the corresponding risk for BRCA2 is 45 percent.

Cancer Facts and Figures 2008, ACS
Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2007-2008, ACS

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure recommends the following:

• Annual screening mammography for women starting at age 40. Women under 40 with either a family history or breast cancer or other concerns about personal risk should consult with a health care provider about risk assessment and when to begin mammography.
• Clinical breast examination by a health care provider at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and annually after 40
• Monthly breast self-examination starting by age 20

There is no known cure for advanced breast cancer. Early detection provides more treatment options and a greater chance of survival. The 5-year relative survival for localized breast cancer (cancer that has not spread to lymph nodes or other locations outside the breast) has increased from 80% in the 1950s to 98% today.

More Caucasian women than African-American women develop breast cancer. However, more African-American and Hispanic women die of breast cancer because the disease is not diagnosed at an early stage.

Today, for the first time since the country began keeping records, the mortality rate for all cancer has declined. Factors contributing to this decline have been reported to include increased awareness, earlier detection and improved treatment.