Breast Cancer Statistics

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer) and is the most common cancer among women, aside from non-melanoma cancers. Its is also the most common cancer among Canadian women.

Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%). Approximately 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide and about 465,000 will die from the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer rates have risen about 30% in the past 25 years in western countries. This is due to increased in screening which detects the cancer in earlier stages.

In 2009, an estimation of 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,280 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases is expected to occur in men.

* An estimated 22,700 women diagnosed with breast cancer, 5,400 will die.
* An estimated 180 men diagnosed with breast cancer, 50 will die of it.
* On average, 437 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.
* On average, 104 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.

Estimated Probability: One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime and one in 28 will die of it. The lifetime probability of developing breast cancer in developed countries is about 4.8%, according to the American Cancer Society (the probability is about 13% for any type of cancer). In developing countries, the lifetime probability of developing breast cancer is about 1.8%.

Breast cancer survivors rate is about 2.5 million women in the U.S. in year 2008.