It rarely occurs in men. Its cause and the means for a cure have remained undiscovered. In 1996, it is estimated that 184,300 new cases of invasive female breast cancer and 30,000 in situ cases will be diagnosed, and more than 44,300 women will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for African American women. In 1996, breast cancer will be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every twelve minutes.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer.
The risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman ages, if she has a family history of breast cancer, has never had children, or had her first child after age 30. However, most breast cancers occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors. Fewer than a third of American women follow recommended guidelines for screening mammography, a simple procedure that can reveal small breast cancers up to two years before they can be felt. Most breast irregularities are found by women themselves, yet many women do not know how to perform breast self-examination, and few do so regularly. Follow-up biopsy is often recommended.