Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States. It occurs rarely in men. A breast cancer is newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every twelve minutes. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women between the ages of 35 and 54. Eighty percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. 7.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for African American women.
Women of low socioeconomic status are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease and die of the disease. Over 70 percent of breast cancer cases occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors. The cause of breast cancer is unknown. Over 80 percent of breast lumps are proven benign, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. More than 1.6 million breast cancer survivors are alive in America today.