MemberMatters

What Everyone Women Should Know About Breast Cancer

Posted on October 6, 2014

 

The Hard Facts About Breast Cancer:

According to the United State Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. Screenings, such as self-breast exams and mammography and improved treatments have been credited with the significant reductions in the number of deaths resulting from breast cancer. We still have a long way to go!

  • About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
  • In 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,570 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.
  • About 2,360 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2014. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
  • Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. began decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
  • About 40,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989 — with larger decreases in women under 50. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
  • For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
  • Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers in women are breast cancers.
  • White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than African-American women. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women. Overall, African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
  • In 2014, there were more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
  • A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
  • About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with a BRCA1 mutation have a 55-65% risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, and often at a younger age. For women with a BRCA2 mutation, the risk is 45%. An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, BRCA2 mutations are associated with a lifetime breast cancer risk of about 6%; BRCA1 mutations are a less frequent cause of breast cancer in men.
  • About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
  • The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).

 

You may be wondering about the incidence rates here in Massachusetts:

  • From 2004 to 2008, invasive breast cancer was the most common type of newly diagnosed cancer among Massachusetts females, accounting for 28.5% of new cancers among females.
  • By county, rates of breast cancer range in MA from a low of 120.2 in Suffolk County (Boston area) to a high of 152.1 in Dukes County (Martha’s Vineyard).
  • The highest rates in MA are on Cape Cod (Dukes, Nantucket, and Barnstable Counties) and slightly lower rates are found in Middlesex, Hampshire, Norfolk, and Franklin Counties.

 

Massachusetts Rates Compared to National Rates:

  • In 2008, Massachusetts had the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in the United States.
  • According to 2009 statistics (which is the latest data available from the CDC), Massachusetts breast cancer incidence is approximately 5.8% higher than the national average.
  • National data for 2009 reports an incidence rate for breast cancer at 130.3 per 100,000 women in MA compared to an average rate of 123.1 for the U.S. as a whole.
  • MA is in the top quartile of incidence for breast cancer in the U.S., a group that includes, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington.

 

3 Simple Things You Can Do

  1. Know your risk factors
    1. Prolonged exposure to estrogen and other hormones that play a role in a woman’s menstrual cycle; early menarche, late menopause, having children late in life, never having children, and never having breast fed
    2. About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of the disease.
    3. Only about 5-10% of breast cancer cases can be linked to gene mutations inherited from one’s mother or father (including BRCA1, BRCA2, and others).
    4. To assess your risk visit: http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/
  2. Early Detection
    1. Practice self-breast exams. For instructions visit: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/self_exam/bse_steps
    2. Get a mammography – If you’re 40 or older and have an average risk of breast cancer, we recommend that yearly screening mammograms should be part of your healthcare.
  3. Practice Prevention
  4. Exercise
    1. Women who exercise four or more hours a week have a lower risk of breast cancer.
    2. Maintain a healthy weight -Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women who have not used hormone replacement therapy.
    3. Use alcohol in moderation – Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. The level of risk rises as the amount of alcohol consumed rises

Categories: DrLaurie

Tags:

Comments Off on What Everyone Women Should Know About Breast Cancer

Comments are currently closed.