Breast Cancer Death Rate Dropping

(October 15, 2009) - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) says there is some progress in the battle against breast cancer. (Read about "Breast Cancer") A new report from the ACS finds the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than 2 percent per year, a trend that began in 1990. Another bit of good news is that over the last ten years the rate of decline among African American and Hispanic women is similar to the drop among white women. However, death rates for breast cancer remain 40 percent higher in African American than white women.

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, factors that influence survival, the latest data on prevention, early detection, treatment, and ongoing and future research.

"Breast cancer remains a major fear for women living in the U.S. and a major cause of cancer death, but it's important to note that a woman's chances of dying from breast cancer have now been dropping for more than a decade," said Otis W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. "We've now identified major risk factors for breast cancer, many of which are modifiable. For instance, we've seen a drop in incidence associated with less use of postmenopausal hormones. (Read about "Menopause") And while that is gratifying to see, we remain concerned about obesity's (Read about "Obesity") potential to offset that drop, and lead to an increase in the incidence of breast cancer in the future."

Other highlights of Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2009-2010 include:

• In 2009, an estimated 192,370 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Excluding cancers of the skin (Read about "Skin Cancer"), breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, accounting for more than 1 in 4 cancers diagnosed.
• An estimated 40,170 women are expected to die from the disease in 2009. Only lung cancer (Read about "Lung Cancer") accounts for more cancer deaths in women.
• Between 2002 and 2003, a sharp decline in breast cancer incidence rates occurred in the U. S., particularly among women aged 50 to 69. This decrease is likely a result of the rapid drop in menopausal hormone use that began in 2002. Breast cancer incidence rates have remained relatively stable since 2003.

"The steady drop in the breast cancer death rate means that this year alone, about 15,000 breast cancer deaths were avoided that would have occurred had rates not begun to drop," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. "Since the early 1990s, that decline adds up to more than 130,000 grandmothers, mothers, and daughters who were alive, perhaps to celebrate another birthday, and even to go on to live a full, rich life."