• Every two minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. (1)
• In 2010, about 40,230 women and 390 men will die from breast cancer in the United States. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining. These decreases are believed to be the result of early detection and improved treatments. (3)
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Breast cancer accounts for about 15 percent of all cancer-related deaths in women in the U.S. (3)
• A woman's chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer is:
o By age 40...1 out of 233
o By age 50...1 out of 69
o By age 60...1 out of 38
o By age 70...1 out of 27
o By age 80...1 out of 24
o Ever...1 out of 8 (5)
• When breast cancer is found early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent. More than two million breast cancer survivors are living in the United States today. (1)
• Women who get regular mammograms reduce their risk of breast cancer death by 63 percent. (3)
• Annual mammograms are recommended for women age 40 and older, but only one in 20 women consistently follows that recommendation. (2)
• Eight out of ten breast lumps are not cancerous. If you find a lump, don't panic – call your doctor for an appointment. (1)
• Mammography is a low-dose X-ray examination that can detect breast cancer up to two years before it is large enough to be felt. (1)
• A clinical breast exam by a doctor should be part of a periodic health exam – about every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and every year for women 40 and older. (4)
(1) National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF)
(2) American Cancer Society
(3) Cancer Journal, American Cancer Society
(4) Breast Cancer Research Foundation
