Breast cancer death rates continue to decline

Minority women are not experiencing as much of the benefit as white women, however.

Issue: November 1, 2007

Findings in a report from the American Cancer Society indicate that the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than 2% per year, a trend that began in 1990 and is credited to early detection and treatment.

However, black women and women of other racial and ethnic groups have benefited less than white women from the advances that have led to these gains. A recent drop in cancer incidence is due in part to fewer women getting mammograms.

The findings are published in Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2007-2008. The report, published every two years since 1996, provides detailed analyses of breast cancer trends and presents information on known risk factors for the disease, which include those that influence survival; the latest data on prevention, early detection and treatment; and ongoing future research.

“Taken together, this report highlights the remarkable gains we’ve made in the fight against breast cancer,” John R. Seffrin, PhD, CEO of the American Cancer Society, said in a press release. “But it also puts into focus the challenge before us: to close the gap so all Americans can reap the benefits equally, and to ensure that no American woman faces an increased risk for dying from breast cancer because of her race or ethnicity or lack of access to quality care.”

Other findings

In 2007, 178,480 cases of invasive breast cancer are expected among women. Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women, accounting for more than one in four cancers diagnosed.

In 2004, approximately 2.4 million women living in the United States had a history of breast cancer.

Between 1990 and 2004, the breast cancer mortality rate decreased by 2.2% per year. The decline was larger among younger age groups.

Between 1995 and 2004, female breast cancer death rates declined by 2.4% per year in whites and Hispanics/Latinas, 1.6% per year in blacks and remained unchanged among Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders and American Indians/Alaskan Natives.

In 2007, approximately 40,460 women are expected to die from breast cancer, a rate that is exceeded only by lung cancer.

From 2001 to 2004, breast cancer incidence rates among white women declined at an average rate of 3.7% per year, likely due to lower rates of mammography screening as well as decreased use of hormone replacement therapy.

Incidence rates have remained stable for black women. These steady rates may be due to steady mammography screening rates and/or lower rates of hormone replacement therapy use among black women.

Among women aged 50 and older, incidence rates have been declining sharply by about 4.8% per year since 2001. Among women younger than age 50, incidence rates have remained stable since 1986.

Since 2000, the incidence rate of smaller tumors has declined by 3.8% per year. In contrast, the incidence rate of large tumors, defined as larger than 5 cm, has increased by 1.7% per year since 1992, perhaps due to postmenopausal obesity, hormone replacement therapy use or both.

Alcohol consumption is consistently associated with increased breast cancer risk, with studies showing two drinks per day may increase breast cancer risk by 21%.