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 a higher risk, particularly if this occurred before menopause or in both breasts. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in African American women. 2 African Americans with breast cancer face more than twice the risk of dying compared with white Americans, primarily because they are diagnosed at more advanced stages of disease. Until more is known about preventing breast cancer, early detection of breast cancer will give women more treatment options and the chance to recover.