​About Breast Cancer

Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of getting cancer or being cured of it. However, statistics only show what happens to large groups of people. Because no two people are alike, you cannot use them to predict what might happen to you.

These statistics are from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts and Figures 2017.

• This year about 252,710 women in the United States will be told they have breast cancer. About 2,470 men will.
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer).
• A woman's risk of developing breast cancer increases as she gets older. The majority of new cases are in women age 50 and older.
• Having mammography can find breast cancer at an early stage, usually before symptoms occur. Many studies have shown that early detection saves lives. Plus, it increases the options for treatment.
• There are currently 3.1 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.