Breast Cancer Survival Rates
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death in females. Here are a few facts about breast cancer statistics and breast cancer survival rates.
Breast cancer rates have risen in Western countries over the past 3 decades but this is largely due to an increase in screening, catching the disease in early stages.
In fact in the United States the occurrence of breast cancer has actually gone down over the past several years. This is thought to be due to a reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
With the advent of better screening, lower levels of hormone treatment and better therapies after diagnosis, breast cancer survival rates have been on the increase worldwide. Breast cancer has a much better prognosis in developing countries – around 1.8 percent while rates in non developed countries may be as high as 5 percent.
Breast Cancer Statistics by Age
Though older women are more likely to get breast cancer – accounting for over 70 percent of cases, the survival rate of breast cancer after menopause is a higher percentage than premenopausal breast cancer. This is because women who have breast cancer at a younger age often have a type of the disease that is more aggressive, more likely to metastasize and more difficult to treat. Younger women often do not catch the disease in as early a stage because they do not receive regular screening with mammograms and wait until a lump is felt in the breast which means the disease has progressed to a more advanced stage and may have a lower survival rate for breast cancer.
Chance of Developing Breast Cancer
- Age 20-29 0.06%
- Age 30-39 0.43%
- Age 40-49 1.44%
- Age 50-59 2.39%
- Age 60-69 3.65%
5 Year Survival Rate
- Younger than 45 – 81%
- Age 46-64 – 85%
- Over Age 65 – 86%
Statistics by Ethnicity
Caucasian and and African-American women have the highest rate of breast cancer in the US. Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Native American women have the lowest rates of breast cancer in the United States. African American women have a lower breast cancer survival rate, most likely because they are less likely to get regular mammograms or other screening and more likely to get diagnosed at a later stage though Caucasian women follow a close second in the lowest survival rates for breast cancer.
Ethnicity # Cases/100,000 Women Survival Rate
Caucasian 132.5 81.1%
Black 118.3 71.4%
Hispanic 89.3 81.9%
Asian 89.0 85.9%
Native American 69.8 76.9%
Many factors can influence the survival rate of breast cancer, particularly catching the disease early. It is vital for all women, including teens beyond puberty to begin regular breast self exams (BSE). Most physicians, particularly gynecology specialist will be able to train a woman to do a BSE and offer handy instruction sheets to place in the shower which is a convenient location to perfom the procedure on a regular basis. Once a woman reaches the age of 40, most health care practitioners including the American Cancer Society, recommend that mammograms be obtained routinely.
A mammogram is a special type of X-Ray that can detect changes in breast tisuue and can identify tumor cells long before they are detectable by physical exam. Knowing the risk factors you may have such as family history is also important to increase the breast cancer survival rate. Studies show that women with first degree relatives who have had breast cancer are several times more likely to develop the disease as researchers are discovering genetic factors. Knowing your risk factors and getting routine screening will make it more likely that you will discover the disease and increase the breast cancer survival rate if you develop it.
