Despite decreasing mortality rates, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will still be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, a new report from the American Cancer Society found.
The report, published Tuesday, shows the breast cancer death rate has decreased by 44% since 1989, averting 517,900 deaths thanks to advancements in treatment and detection methods. Rates of occurrence, however, have increased by 1% annually since 2012, and for younger women, the increasing rate is even faster, at about 1.4% per year compared to 0.7% for those 50 and older.
There are also discrepancies among racial groups when comparing breast cancer occurrence and mortality rates. For example, although Black women have a 5% lower rate of breast cancer compared to White women, they have a 38% higher death rate, with the American Cancer Society citing later detection and less access to high-quality care. American Indian/Alaska Native women also have a 10% lower breast cancer diagnosis rate than White women but a 6% higher death rate, the report shows.
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Most people who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors, with only 30% of cases being attributed to "potentially modifiable" risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity or alcohol use, the American Cancer Society says. The strongest risk factors are genetics, such as gene mutations or family history of the disease, and high-dose radiation to the chest.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis and continues to be the second-leading cause of cancer deaths behind lung cancer. This year nearly 311,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and around 42,700 will die from the disease, the report found.
The cancer occurs when breast tissue cells change and divide uncontrollably, likely resulting in a lump that carries no other symptoms beyond heaviness or swelling. When it's caught early, breast cancer is easily treatable and has an over 99% five-year survival rate, the report said. But controlling the disease can become increasingly difficult if it breaks through the areas from where it originated.
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To increase the chances of earlier detection, earlier this year the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced its official recommendation for women to start getting regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer starting at age 40 and continuing every other year. Previously, the task force said 40 is when women could choose to be screened, but its formal recommendation had been 50 years old.
The American Cancer Society also recommends women start getting mammograms at age 40, but they say these exams should occur yearly until a woman is 55 and older, when they can choose to instead get a breast cancer screening every other year or continue annually.
