It is the single leading cause of cancer death for women 20-59 years of age. In 1999, it is estimated that 176,300 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed and more than 43,700 people died from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for African American women. One out of eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer if they live past the age of 85, a risk that in 1960 was one out of fourteen. In 1998, a new case of breast cancer was diagnosed every three minutes, and a person died from breast cancer every twelve minutes.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer, and that risk increases with age.
Other risk factors associated with a breast cancer diagnosis include early onset of menarchy, late menopause, never having children, bearing children after age 30, a family history of breast cancer and chest irradiations for conditions such as Hodgkins Disease. 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 ow to perform breast self-examination, and few do so regularly. Over 80 percent of breast lumps are benign, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. Follow-up biopsy is often recommended.