While breast cancer deaths are continuously becoming fewer in the United States, breast cancer diagnoses are becoming more common – especially among younger women. That’s according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.
The report also found there are still significant racial disparities among those who get breast cancer.
The new report shows between 1989 and 2022, the United States’ overall breast cancer death rate dropped 44%. That equates to more than 500,000 fewer people dying from the disease.
However, instances of breast cancer diagnoses climbed 1% each year between 2012 and 2021. The study also found a slightly higher increase in cases among women younger than 50 than those 50 and older.
A separate study recently showed breast cancer rates among women 20 to 49 years old have risen over the past two decades.
The new report also found that despite being 5% less likely to get breast cancer than white women, Black women had a 38% higher death rate from it, and the highest breast cancer mortality rate of any race.
The American Cancer Society predicts this year, 1 in 8 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That’s about 311,000 people. The Cancer Society also predicts about 42,000 of them will likely die from the disease.
There are some ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, like maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active and not drinking alcohol often – or at all. Some people who are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer can also take certain medications to help prevent it.
