Between the ages of 45 and 65, your risk of developing breast cancer increases. This is especially true for women who have risk factors other than age. According to the American Cancer Society, about 2 out of 3 cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in women ages 55 and older.
Lifetime chance of getting breast cancer
Overall, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%.
Studies have shown that your risk for breast cancer is due to a combination of factors. The main factors that influence your risk include being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.
The older a woman is, the more likely she is to get breast cancer. Rates of breast cancer are low in women under 40. About 4% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. are younger than 40 [6]. Rates begin to increase after age 40 and are highest in women over age 70 (see Figure 2.1 below).
Symptoms of stage 1 breast cancer include skin irritation or dimpling, swelling/redness/scaling/flaking/thickening of the nipple or breast skin, change in the size or the shape of the breast, nipple turning inward, change in the appearance of a nipple, nipple discharge that is not breast milk, breast pain, nipple pain, ...
Many people with localized or regional breast cancer survive for 20 years or longer after receiving a diagnosis and treatment. It is rare for someone with distant breast cancer to live for 20 years. However, scientists are continuing to improve treatments for distant breast cancer.
About 66% of women with breast cancer are diagnosed at this stage. Adolescent and young adult females ages 15 to 39 in the United States are less likely to be diagnosed at an early stage of breast cancer (47% of cases in this age group) compared to women older than 65 (68% of cases in this age group).
Race and ethnicity
Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer. Risk in different groups also varies by type of breast cancer. For example, African American women are more likely to have the less common triple-negative breast cancer.
Certain factors increase the risk of breast cancer including increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy.
For this average-risk population, the American College of Radiology® and Society of Breast Imaging recommend annual screening mammography starting at age 40. Women with a cumulative lifetime breast risk ≥ 20 percent are considered high-risk.
For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer in the U.S. is 99%. This means women with localized breast cancer are, on average, 99% as likely to live 5 years beyond diagnosis as women in the general population.
Breast cancer risk is higher in women with the most dense breast tissue compared to less dense tissue. Women with dense breast tissue have less fat and more breast cells and connective tissue in their breasts. make up affects breast density.
Experts are still not sure why left-sided breast cancer appears to be more common. Over the years, researchers have made various hypotheses to try to explain it, such as: the larger size of the left breast. early detection of tumors in those who are righthanded.
Can Breast Cancer Be Prevented? There is no sure way to prevent breast cancer. But there are things you can do that might lower your risk. This can be especially helpful for women with certain risk factors for breast cancer, such as having a strong family history or certain inherited gene changes.
Regular mammograms can help find breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. A mammogram can often find breast changes that could be cancer years before physical symptoms develop.
Stage 1 is highly treatable, however, it does require treatment, typically surgery and often radiation, or a combination of the two. Additionally, you may consider hormone therapy, depending on the type of cancer cells found and your additional risk factors.
Breast Cancer Survival Rates
The overall 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 90%. This means 90 out of 100 women are alive 5 years after they've been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Stage 4 cancer usually can't be cured. In addition, because it's usually spread throughout the body by the time it's diagnosed, it is unlikely the cancer can be completely removed. The goal of treatment is to prolong survival and improve your quality of life.
Breast cancer originates in your breast tissue. It occurs when breast cells mutate (change) and grow out of control, creating a mass of tissue (tumor). Like other cancers, breast cancer can invade and grow into the tissue surrounding your breast. It can also travel to other parts of your body and form new tumors.
Non-invasive breast cancer is sometimes called stage 0 cancer. It is an early stage of breast cancer, meaning the tumor is often very small.
Breast cancer occurs more frequently in the left breast than the right. The left breast is 5%-10% more likely to develop cancer than the right breast. No one knows why.