Breast Cancer Facts

• Breast cancer is 100 times more common among women than men.
• A woman's risk of developing breast cancer increases with age.
• Only 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary.
• Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease, or who themselves had previous bouts of breast cancer.
• Women who have had no children or who had their first child after age 30 have a slightly higher breast cancer risk.
• Long time use of Hormone Replacement Therapy, after menopause, may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.
• Regular consumption of alcohol, cigarette smoking, and a diet high in polyunsaturated fats increases your risk of developing breast cancer.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for women aged 40-59.
• Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Every thirteen minute a woman dies from breast cancer.
• One in every eight women are at risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.
• During 2000, it is estimated that 182,800 women and 1,400 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Approximately 40,800 women and 400 men will die with breast cancer this year.
• During the 1990s, approximately 1.8 million women and 12,000 men were diagnosed with invasive brease cancer.
• When breast cancer is confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is over 95 percent.