Wellness Wednesday: Breast Cancer Facts and Figures

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Mercy Health System wants you to know the facts about breast cancer and understand that early detection is the key to survival.

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

• One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
• Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
• Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.
• Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. About 11 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age.

A Global Burden

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year and affecting countries at all levels of modernization.

Good News about Breast Cancer Trends

In recent years, perhaps coinciding with the decline in prescriptive hormone replacement therapy after menopause, we have seen a gradual reduction in female breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, in part to better due to screening and early detection, increased awareness, and continually improving treatment options.

Factors That Decrease Breast Cancer Risk

• Being older when you first had your menstrual period.
• Starting menopause at an earlier age.
• Giving birth to more children, being younger at the birth of your first child, and breastfeeding your children.
• Getting regular exercise.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.

Factors That Increase Breast Cancer Risk

• Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy.
• Personal history of breast cancer or non-cancerous breast diseases.
• Family history of breast cancer (on either your mother’s or father’s side of the family).
• Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
• Dense breasts by mammogram.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Night-shift work.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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