Breast Cancer Mortality Declines, New Cases Rise Among Younger Women
Breast cancer mortality rates overall have dropped by 44% since 1989, preventing more than 517,000 breast cancer deaths, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society.1
“The encouraging news is breast cancer mortality rates continue to decrease thanks to advances in early detection and treatment,” Angela Giaquinto MSPH, associate scientist, cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study2, said in a press release.1 “But future progress may be thwarted by increasing incidence, especially among younger women, and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as delayed diagnosis due to interruptions in screening.”
Indeed, the report noted an upward trend in breast cancer incidence, rising by 1% annually between 2012 and 2021, with the steepest increase in women younger than 50 years of age (1.4% per year) and Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) women of any age (2.5%-2.7% per year).
The report also identified racial disparities among patients with breast cancer. For example, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women have 10% lower breast cancer incidence than White women, but 6% higher mortality. The report also found that only 51% of AIAN women 40 years or older had a mammogram in the past 2 years compared with 68% of White women. Further, breast cancer in women under 50 years of age has increased in AAPI women by 50% since 2000.
Additionally, Black women continue to have a 38% higher breast cancer mortality rate than White women, despite a 5% lower incidence. Black women also have lower survival than White women for every breast cancer subtype and stage of diagnosis except localized disease, with which they are 10% less likely to be diagnosed.
“Women today are a lot less likely to die from breast cancer, but alarming disparities still remain, especially for Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American, and Black women,” William L. Dahut, MD, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, said in the press release. “These gaps need to be rectified through systematic efforts to ensure access to high-quality screening and treatment for every woman.”
References:
- New ACS Report: Breast cancer mortality continues three decade decline overall, but steeper increases in incidence for women <50 & asian american, pacific islanders of all ages. American Cancer Society. October 1, 2024. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://pressroom.cancer.org/breastcancerfactsandfigures2024
- Giaquinto AN, Sung H, Newman LA, et al. Breast cancer statistics 2024.CA Cancer J Clin. Published online October 1, 2014. doi:10.3322/caac.21863