Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed among US women, and the second leading cause of death from cancer, after lung cancer.
Approximately one-in-eight women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime and one-in-43, or 2pc, will die from the disease.
By race, Asian American women had the most rapid increase in incidence followed by Hispanic, which the paper said “may be related in part to the influx of new immigrants, who have elevated breast cancer risk.” Overall, the breast cancer mortality rate fell 44pc from 33 deaths per 100,000 women in 1989 to 19 deaths per 100,000 in 2022, resulting in around 517,900 averted deaths.
Mortality has remained unchanged since 1990 among Native Americans, while Black women experience 38pc more deaths than white women despite 5pc lower cases.
In April, an influential US medical body recommended women should get screened for breast cancer every other year starting from the age of 40.
According to the American Cancer Society’s biennial report, while the overall death rate continued its historic trend of decline, falling by 44% between 1989 and 2022, the number of cases increased by 1% annually between 2012 and 2021.
Breast cancer ranks second among US women in terms of cancer diagnoses and is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths, after lung cancer.
Approximately one-in-eight women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime and one-in-43, or 2pc, will die from the disease.
For unclear reasons, the report stated that during the last ten years, the rate of breast cancer in women under 50 increased more quickly than in women over 50, rising by 1 percent annually as opposed to 0.7 percent annually.
According to the study, Asian American women experienced the fastest rise in incidence among all racial groups, followed by Hispanic women. This could be partially attributed to the influx of new immigrants, who are more likely to develop breast cancer. “.
Approximately 517,900 deaths were prevented as a result of the overall 44 percent decline in the breast cancer mortality rate from 33 deaths per 100,000 women in 1989 to 19 deaths per 100,000 in 2022.
However, the benefits have not been distributed equally despite decades of medical advancements in treatment and early detection.
Native Americans’ mortality rate has not changed since 1990, while Black women die 38 percent more often than White women, despite having 5 percent fewer cases overall.
As stated in the paper, these results brought to light “disadvantages in social determinants of health” and “longstanding systemic racism, which has translated to less access to quality care across the cancer continuum.”. “.
Black women report having mammograms more often than White women, for instance, but the study found that “they are more likely to have screening at lower resourced facilities and/or those that are not accredited by the American College of Radiology.”.
The authors suggested expanding the racial diversity of clinical trials and forming community partnerships to provide underprivileged women with greater access to high-quality screening.
An influential US medical body recommended in April that women starting at age 40 should undergo screening for breast cancer every other year.
Previous recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) stated that women in their 40s should decide for themselves when to begin mammograms based on their health history and that the USPSTF would only make the recommendation that women turn 50.
