According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women, but death rates from breast cancer have been declining since the 1990s, and new treatment options are being developed all the time.
Significance
In 2007, approximately 178,480 women were newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer; 2,030 men were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,460 women died of the disease.
Non-Invasive Breast Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2007, 62,030 women were diagnosed with carcinoma in situ of the breast, which is noninvasive breast cancer.
Risk Factors
Risk factors for developing breast cancer include a family or personal history of the disease, genetic mutations, those women with dense breast tissue, and having had previous radiation to the chest.
Detection
To help find breast cancer at an earlier stage, the American Cancer Society recommends women age 40 and older should have yearly mammograms, women in their 20s and 30s should have yearly clinical breast exams by a health care provider, and starting in their 20s, women should start performing breast self-examination.
Types
Types of non-invasive breast cancer include ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in-situ (DCIS); and types of invasive breast cancer include infiltrating/invasive ductal carcinoma or lobular carcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, triple neagtive breast cancer, and Paget's disease of the nipple.
Survivorship
In the United States, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors, according to the American Cancer Society.
