Epidemiology

Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy. It accounts for approximately 30% of all new cancer cases among women.[7]​ The incidence of breast cancer is approximately 100 times greater in women than in men.[7]

In 2021, there were an estimated 3,972,256 women living with breast cancer in the US.​​[8]

In 2024, it is estimated that there will be approximately 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women in the US, and approximately 42,250 women will die from breast cancer.​[8]​​​ Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in middle-aged or older women; median age at diagnosis is 63 years.[8] The 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer in the US is 91.2%.[8]

In the US, the age-adjusted incidence of female breast cancer (based on data from 2017 to 2021) is highest in non-Hispanic white women (139.0 per 100,000), followed by non-Hispanic black women (129.3 per 100,000), non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native women (113.0 per 100,000), non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander women (110.3 per 100,000), and Hispanic women (101.2 per 100,000).[8] Age-adjusted mortality rates in non-Hispanic black women remain higher than in white women (26.8 per 100,000 vs. 19.4 per 100,00 [based on data from 2018 to 2022]).[8]

The age-adjusted incidence rate of breast cancer in women in the US declined rapidly by 6.7% between 2002 and 2003.[9] Trends in incidence rates in Europe are similar to those observed in the US.[10] The reason for this is not fully understood, but it has been noted that the decline followed the first report of the Women's Health Initiative study, which led to a reduction in the use of hormone replacement therapy.[9] In Europe, this decline also followed the expected increase observed after introduction of routine breast screening.

The incidence of breast cancer in the US has been increasing since 2004, possibly due to declining fertility rate and increasing obesity in the US.[11] Age-adjusted incidence rates for new female breast cancer increased by an average 1.0% each year between 2012 and 2021. Age-adjusted death rates have been falling on average by 1.2% each year over 2013-2022.[8]​​

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