The rate we find breast cancer in women has steadily increased over the past 30 years. Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in females. It happens more often than the total number of female colon, uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined. Although women can get breast cancer at almost any age, they rarely get it before age 30. We see most cases in middle-aged and older women.
Breast cancer is also less common in certain parts of the world, and among certain ethnic groups.
For example, women who live in the Far East, particularly in Japan, have relatively low rates. But, Japanese women who live in the United States have breast cancer rates similar to American women. It would seem that an environmental factor, such as fat in their diet, might cause the increased cancer risk.