Breast Cancer Facts

All women are at a breast cancer risk. The two main risk factors are being female and getting older. The risk of breast cancer increases after the age of 40 and increases more dramatically after the age of 50.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, excluding skin cancers, accounting for about 30% of all new cancers.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 1999 about 175,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the U.S.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, second only to lung cancer and is the leading cause of death among American Women aged 40-55 years.

In 1999, there were about 43,700 deaths from breast cancer in the U.S. (43,300 among women and 400 among men).

Between 1989 and 1993 the overall mortality rate from breast cancer decreased about 5%.

The overall decline in breast cancer mortality has been attributed to improvements in breast cancer treatments, an increase in breast cancer awareness and screening, and changes in the prevalence of breast cancer risk factors.

Research studies have shown that many factors can influence the overall health of a woman’s breasts. These factors can include diet, exercise, our environment and even our spiritual well being.