Breast Cancer Facts

• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women between the ages of 40 and 59.

•  Breast cancer is a devastating and deadly disease that has struck nearly 2.5 million American women in the past decade. One in eight women will suffer from the disease in her lifetime.

•  All women are at risk for developing breast cancer, and one’s risk increases with advancing age–85 percent of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors or family history.

•  In 2009, it is estimated that 192,370 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer–one every three minutes.

•  In the same period of time, an estimated 40,170 will die of the disease–one every 13 minutes.

•  In 2009, it is estimated that 1,910 men will develop breast cancer and 440 will die. Men suffer a higher mortality rate than women because they are unaware that they are at risk and discover the cancer at more advanced stages.

•  Cancer in pre-menopausal women is more aggressive than in post-menopausal women, thereby making early detection and treatment even more critical.

•  The probability of survival is 98 percent–but only for women who get early detection and treatment.

•  There is no known cure for advanced breast cancer.

Among Women of Color

•  While mortality rates continue to decline in Caucasian women due to improvements in early detection and treatment, 32 percent more African American women die of breast cancer despite a 13 percent lower incidence rate.

•  African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with later stage breast cancer, thereby underscoring the importance of awareness and early detection in saving lives.

•  Compared to Caucasian women whose disease has spread, African American women have a significantly lower five-year survival rate.

•  African American women show a higher incidence of breast cancer among younger women, when it is more aggressive, than Caucasian women.

For more information on breast health, call the Komen National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or visit the Komen website at www.komen.org. The Helpline is staffed by trained volunteers whose lives have been personally touched by breast cancer. Using the latest breast health information, volunteers provide timely and accurate information to callers with breast health and breast cancer concerns. To learn more about the Co-Survivor program click here.

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