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Breast Cancer Statistics
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Breast cancer is a very serious
disease which should not be taken lightly by anybody. It can affect
you or the people that you love without warning. For that reason, it
is important to learn as much as you can about this affliction. In
this article, we’ve compiled a list of breast cancer statistics that
can help you to realize exactly how severe of a problem breast
cancer is in the world today.
Breast cancer is the second
biggest cause of death by cancer in women. It is second only to lung
cancer in women’s cancer mortality rates.
In any given year, as many as 1.2 million women on
average across the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer. |
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In the year 2000 alone, 202,044 women in North
America were diagnosed with a new case of breast cancer. Also in the year
2000, 51,184 North American people died as a result of breast cancer.
The risk of a woman getting breast cancer at some
point in her life is around 1 in 8. The risk for getting breast cancer
before age 30, however, is a mere 1 in 2,212.
The 5-year survival rate for women under age 45
for breast cancer is 81 percent.
Roughly 77 percent of all breast cancer cases are
diagnosed in women that are 50 years of age or older.
Few realize that breast cancer can occur in men as
well. While nowhere near as prevalent in men, an estimated 1,860 males will
be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
The highest risk of breast cancer is faced by
those with white, Hawaiian, or African American ancestry. This risk faced by
these ethnicities is roughly 4 times as prevalent as the chance faced by the
lowest risk group.
After women reach age forty, it is highly
recommended for them to get a mammogram yearly. However, only 66.9 percent
of all women over 40 have had a mammogram in the past two years.
Breast cancer IS the leading cause of cancer
deaths in a specific age group of women: 40 to 59.
While the threat of breast cancer
is still quite serious, statistics show that the death rates of
women from breast cancer in the United States have decreased by
about 2.8 percent every year from 1990 to 2000.
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As you can see, breast cancer is
a problem that is far-reaching and life-altering. Unfortunately, the
statistics do not show that a full 100 percent of women get an
annual mammogram. If you are a woman over the age of 40, it is
important to ensure that you are not one of the 33.1 percent of
women who are in the dark about the status of their breast health.
Early detection of breast cancer can lead to being able to fix the
problem before it becomes too late. Fear is never an adequate excuse
for not getting a yearly mammogram; it is an important and necessary
process for those who are high in risk for breast cancer. |
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