Remember, Early Detection Helps Save Lives
Be sure you and your loved ones follow the recommended guidelines from the American Cancer Society for early detection of breast cancer. If there is a history of breast cancer in your family consult your doctor on the need to begin these steps at an earlier age.
- Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.
- Clinical breast exam (CBE) should be part of a periodic health exam, about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over.
- Women should know how their breasts normally feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care providers. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.
- Women at high risk (greater than 20% lifetime risk) should get an MRI and a mammogram every year. Women at moderately increased risk (15% to 20% lifetime risk) should talk with their doctors about the benefits and limitations of adding MRI screening to their yearly mammogram. Yearly MRI screening is not recommended for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.
Important U.S. Facts About Breast Cancer
- Approximately 178,480 women and 2,030 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year
- 40,460 women and 450 men in the U.S. will die from the disease annually.
- There are over 2 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. who have been treated for breast cancer
- Every 3 minutes, there is a new diagnosis of invasive breast cancer
- There are more than 250,000 women under the age of 40 in the U.S living with breast cancer, and over 11,000 will be diagnosed this year
- A woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime
- Every 13 minutes, a life is lost to breast cancer
- White, non-Hispanic women are more likely to develop breast cancer but African-American women are more likely to die from it.
- Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanic women and is the leading cause of cancer deaths among this group.
Men Get Breast Cancer, Too
- Survival for men with breast cancer is similar to survival for women, when their stage of diagnosis is the same.
- Men at any age may develop breast cancer, but it is usually found in men between 60 and 70 years of age.
- Male breast cancer makes up less than 1% of all cases of breast cancer.
- Male breast cancer is sometimes caused by inherited gene mutations, and a family history of breast cancer can increase a man's risk.