October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month—a time to educate people about early cancer detection, novel breast cancer treatments, and ways to support survivors. Today’s educational efforts will aid generations to come and positively influence the following breast cancer statistics.
Nearly 1 in 3 cancers diagnosed in women in the United States is breast cancer.
An estimated 230,480 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among women in 2011, as well as approximately 57,650 additional cases of in situ breast cancer.
Between 1995 and 2007, 95% of new diagnoses and 97% of breast cancer deaths occurred in women 40 years of age and older.
The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis was 61 years during between 2004 and 2008.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles once a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) is diagnosed with breast cancer.
Furthermore, it is estimated that 5%-10% of breast cancer cases result from inherited mutations.
However, about 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer.
In 2011, about 2140 cases of breast cancer occurred among men, accounting for about 1% of all breast cancers.
Although mortality rates differ by ethnicity and geography, overall breast cancer death rates decreased by 2.2% per year between 1990 and 2007.
Up from 2.5 million in 2010, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the US in 2011.
Sources
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
http://www.cancer.org/Research/CancerFactsFigures/BreastCancerFactsFigures/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2011-2012