Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.
It also occurs in men - about one man for every 100 women affected. In 1997, about 200,000 women and 1400 men were diagnosed with breast cancer, equaling about one new case every three minutes. Further, over 43,000 women and 290 men died from breast cancer last year. Endocrine factors are crucial in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, as indicated by the ration of females to males. Breast cancer is more common among women who had their first menstrual period at an early age, their first full-term pregnancy at a late age, and menopause at a late age.