BREAST CANCER MORTALITY RATES DECREASED SHARPLY in women — in each age decade from 20 to 79 years of age — from the late 1980s to 2010. After 2010, breast cancer death rates continued to decline in women 40 to 79 but stopped declining in women 20 to 39. Today we explore some good news (overall) – breast cancer risk is dropping.
Today, we look briefly at these breast cancer mortality findings before turning to some ways that you may be able to significantly lower your risk of getting the disease.
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”
― Herophilus
Breast cancer death risk dropping
Breast cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death in women in the United States. The disease accounts for nearly one in three (30 percent) cancers in women.
Researchers recently analyzed breast cancer mortality trends in the United States. As noted above, there is good and bad news. Breast cancer mortality has sharply dropped. However, over the last dozen years, the declines have stalled for women ages 20 to 39.
Here are the specifics:
- Between 1989 and 2010, breast cancer death rates decreased by 1.45 to 3.45 percent per year. These rates apply to each age decade from 20 to 79 years.
- From 2010 to 2017, breast cancer mortality rates decreased between 1.2 and 2.2 percent per year for each age decade from 40 to 79 years but increased by a statistically non-significant 0.5 percent per year in women ages 20 to 39.
- Since 2000, the incidence of metastatic (distant spread) breast cancer has risen by more than four percent per year in women 20 to 39.
Why do we see marked differences in breast cancer mortality rates for women aged 20 to 39 and older? One possible contributor is the use of mammograms in the older cohort. This screening tool is associated with a mortality decline among women at least 40 years.
Could a change in screening guidelines have contributed to a steeper increase in the rate of advanced disease in women aged 70 to 79?
In 2009, the United States Preventative Services Task Force changed its screening mammogram recommendations, recommending against screening women 40 to 49 and failing to endorse screening women older than 74. Women after that had significant declines in mammogram use, with the largest decline in women at least 75 years, according to the current study authors.
Reducing breast cancer risk
While nothing can guarantee that you can dodge breast cancer, the following are some potential risk-reducing maneuvers you may wish to consider.
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you seek medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
Thanks for reading “Breast Cancer Risk Dropping.”
