HOW COMMON IS BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year. The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2023 are: 

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• About 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. 

• About 55,720 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be diagnosed.  

• About 43,700 women will die from breast cancer.

 

Breast cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged and older women. The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is 62. This means half of the women who developed breast cancer are 62 years of age or younger when they are diagnosed.  A very small number of women diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 45.

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DIFFERENCES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY

 

Some variations in breast cancer can be seen in racial and ethnic groups. For example:  

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• The median age at diagnosis is slightly younger for Black women (60 years old) compared to White women 63 years old).

• Black women have the highest death rate from breast cancer. This is thought to be partially because about 1 in 5 Black women with breast cancer have triple-negative breast cancer  -  more than any other racial or ethnic group.

• Black women have a higher chance of developing breast cancer before the age of 40 than White women.

• At every age, Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other race or ethnic group.

• White, Asian, and Pacific Islander women are more likely to be diagnosed with localized breast cancer than Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska Native women.  

• Asian and Pacific Islander women have the lowest death rate from breast cancer.

• American Indian and Alaska Native women have the lowest rates of developing breast cancer.

• Hispanic women are about 30% more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic White women. 

• When breast cancers are diagnosed in Hispanic women, they tend to be larger, more advanced and more aggressive.

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AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER

 

Finding breast cancer early and getting state-of-the-art cancer treatment are two of the most important strategies for preventing deaths from breast cancer. Breast cancer that’s found early, when it’s small and has not spread, is easier to treat successfully. Getting regular screening tests is the most reliable way to find breast cancer early. The American Cancer Society has screening guidelines for women at average risk of breast cancer, and for those at high risk for breast cancer.

 

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WHAT ARE SCREENING TESTS?

 

Screening refers to tests and exams used to find a disease in people who don’t have any symptoms. The goal of screening tests for breast cancer is to find it early, before it causes symptoms (like a lump in the breast that can be felt). Early detection means finding and diagnosing a disease earlier than if you’d waited for symptoms to start.

 

Breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be smaller and less likely to have spread outside the breast. The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are some of the most important factors in predicting the prognosis (outlook) of a woman with this disease.