All women are at risk for breast cancer.
The older you are, the greater your chance of getting it. Women who have a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer are at higher risk, particularly if this occurred before menopause or in both breasts. Although the breast cancer mortality rates for most Native Americans is lower than those for white, African American, and Hispanic women, the rate of death due to the disease has risen since the 1970s in selected areas of the United States. 2 Lack of access to and use of early-detection services may be a major contributor to the poor breast cancer survival rate among Native Americans. Annual screening mammography for women by age 40.