Each year there are an estimated 180,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer. Also, more than 40,000 women die from breast cancer every year. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in women age 40-55, and is second only to lung cancer among women of all ages.

Rates of breast cancer have also been found to vary across different ethnic groups. Caucasian (non-Hispanic), Native Hawaiian, and African-American women are more likely to develop breast cancer than women of other ethnicities. Of all groups, African American women have the highest mortality rate at every age.

A woman's chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer is 1 out of 233 by age 40, 1 out of 53 by age 50, 1 out of 22 by age 60, and 1 out of 13 by age 70.

Despite common misperceptions, more than 2,000 men are also diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of those, approximately 450 will die from the disease


At its earliest stages there are usually no symptoms of breast cancer. The earliest signs of breast cancer are lumps, or hard masses, inside the breast tissue. These lumps can be detected through a mammogram, clinical breast exam, or regular breast self-exam. When the cancer has grown, symptoms may include lumps, thickness, swelling, breast distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, dimpling, nipple pain, scaliness, and nipple retraction.


A woman's risk for breast cancer increases with age. Other factors which can increase a woman's risk include a family history of breast cancer, menstrual periods that started early in life (before age 12) or ended late in life (after age 51), use of post-menopausal hormonal therapies, never having children, having a first child after the age of 30, consuming one or more alcoholic drinks daily, smoking, or having a sedentary lifestyle (little exercise).


Women aged 40 or older should have an annual mammogram, or X-ray of the breast, and perform monthly breast self-examinations. Women aged 20 to 39 should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every three years and perform monthly breast self-examinations.


Typical treatment for breast cancer includes a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor or mass) or a mastectomy (removal of the breast). If it's believed that the cancer has possibly spread beyond the breast, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy may be prescribed. In most cases, a combination of treatments is used.

Additionally, the breakthrough drug Herceptin® is now often used to combat aggressive cases of advanced breast cancer. Herceptin® was developed by Dr. Dennis Slamon with the help of funding from the Entertainment Industry Foundation


There is a 96% five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer if the suspicious mass is detected early and followed by treatment.