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 The Facts:
Thanks to largely stable incidence rates, improved treatment, as
well as earlier detection through screening and increased awareness,
a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer dropped 39 percent between
the late 1980s and 2015, translating into more than 300,000 breast
cancer deaths avoided during that time.
Despite that progress, there's much more to be done. Breast cancer
is still the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, second
only to lung cancer. There is still a large racial gap in mortality,
with African-American women having higher death rates compared to
whites, even as incidence rates are similar.
The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the
United States for
2018 are:
About 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed
in women.
About 63,960 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed
(CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
About 40,920 women will die from breast cancer.
While black and white women get breast cancer at roughly the same
rate, the mortality rate is 42% higher among black women than white
women.
In Illinois in 2018 there will be 9,960 women diagnosed with
breast cancer. Of all types of cancer, breast cancer carries the
highest incidence rate in Illinois with lung cancer coming in at
9,220.
However, Lung cancer will carry the largest loss of life statistic
at 6,410 while it is expected that there will be approximately 1,700
breast cancer deaths in Illinois this year.
At this time, there are more than 3.1 million people with a history
of breast cancer in the United States. (This includes women still
being treated and those who have completed treatment.)
Risk factors:
Numerous studies have confirmed that alcohol consumption increases
the risk of breast cancer in women by about 7%-10% for each one
drink of alcohol consumed per day on average. Women who have 2-3
alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast
cancer compared to non-drinkers.
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Obesity increases the risk of postmenopausal breast
cancer. Risk is about 1.5 times higher in overweight women and about
2 times higher in obese women than in lean women.
Growing evidence suggests that women who get regular physical
activity have a 10%-25% lower risk of breast cancer compared to
women who are inactive, with stronger evidence for postmenopausal
than premenopausal women
Limited but accumulating research indicates that smoking may
slightly increase breast cancer risk, particularly long-term, heavy
smoking and among women who start smoking before their first
pregnancy.
If you or someone you love are concerned about developing breast
cancer, has been recently diagnosed, are going through treatment, or
are trying to stay well after treatment, the American Cancer Society
provides important information on these topics and more.
What the American Cancer Society is Doing
The ACS currently funds 155 multi-year grants focused on breast
cancer totaling $60.2 million. We have played a key role in many of
the advances against breast cancer, including funding early work
that eventually led to the development of tamoxifen and Herceptin.
In Illinois there are currently 32 ongoing research grants
totaling $18,532,000 funded through the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society's nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy
affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS
CAN) is also working to make fighting breast cancer a national
priority. ACS CAN is committed to ensuring that all women have the
opportunity to receive lifesaving cancer screenings and services.
Working in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ACS CAN advocates for
adequate funding for early detection programs that provide access to
affordable breast cancer screenings and diagnostic services to
low-income, uninsured and underinsured women.
To learn more about ACS CAN's advocacy work and to help make
fighting breast cancer a priority in your community, visit
acscan.org/ makingstrides.
SOURCE American Cancer Society |
