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Learn about key statistics for
breast cancers in women in the United States, including how common
they are, recent trends, and who is most affected.
How common is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the US besides
skin cancers. It accounts for about 1 in 3 new cancers in women each
year.
The American Cancer Society's estimates for breast cancer in the US
for 2026 are:
About 321,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be
diagnosed in women.
About 60,730 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will be
diagnosed.
About 42,140 women will die from breast cancer.
Who gets breast cancer?
Breast cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged and older women. The
median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is 63. This means
about half of breast cancers are diagnosed at a younger age, and
about half are diagnosed at an older age. About 1 in 10 women
diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 45.
Lifetime chance of getting breast cancer
Overall, the average risk that a woman in the US will develop breast
cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means about 1 in 8
women will develop breast cancer. But each womans risk of breast
cancer varies based on her age, race and ethnicity, and other
factors..
Trends in breast cancer incidence
In recent years, breast cancer incidence rates have increased by 1%
per year. The rise has been a little faster in women younger than 50
(1.4%). This is probably due to younger women being more likely to
have certain factors that increase risk, such as having excess body
weight, having fewer children, or having a first child after age 30.
Trends in breast cancer deaths
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women,
after lung cancer. The chance that any woman will die from breast
cancer is about 1 in 43 (about 2.3%).
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Breast cancer death rates have been
decreasing steadily since 1989, for an overall decline of 44%
through 2023. This is most likely the result of finding breast
cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as
better treatments.
Differences by race and ethnicity
Some variations in breast cancer can be seen among racial and ethnic
groups. For example:
White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than
Black women, but Black women have the highest death rate from breast
cancer.
At every stage, Black women are more
likely to die from breast cancer than any other race or ethnic
group.
White, Asian, and Pacific Islander women are more likely to be
diagnosed with early-stage (localized) breast cancer than Black,
Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska Native women.
Asian and Pacific Islander women have the lowest death rate from
breast cancer.
Breast cancer survivors
There are more than 4 million breast cancer survivors in the US.
This includes women still being treated and those who have been
diagnosed with breast cancer in the past.
Taken from the American Cancer society website |
