Breast cancer survival rates soar
A breast-cancer diagnosis
can be a devastating
blow. Upon receiving
such a diagnosis,
people may begin to ask questions
about treatment and the
impact cancer may have on
their personal lives. Many people
who are diagnosed with
cancer also begin to wonder
about their mortality.
An estimated 266,120 new
cases of invasive breast cancer
and 63,960 new cases of noninvasive,
or in-situ, breast cancer
are expected to be diagnosed
among women in the United
States this year, according to
Breastcancer.org. According to
the latest statistics presented
by the Canadian Breast Cancer
foundation, 26,300 women and
230 men had been diagnosed
with breast cancer in Canada
in 2017.
The good news is that
breast-cancer incidence rates
began decreasing in 2000 after
increasing for the previous two
decades. In addition, death
rates from breast cancer have
been decreasing steadily since
1989.
The National Cancer Institute
says that the change in
age-adjusted mortality rates
are an indicator of the progress
being made in the fight against
breast cancer. The most recent
SEER Cancer Statistics Review
released in April 2018 indicates
cancer death rates among
women decreased by 1.4 percent
Caribbean L 8 ife, Oct. 9-15, 2020
per year between the years
of 2006 and 2015.
The American Cancer
Society says that
decreasing death rates
among major cancer
types, including prostate,
colorectal, lung, and
breast cancers, are driving
the overall shift in survival.
The Society says
breast-cancer death
rates among women
declined by 39 percent
from 1989 to
2015. That progress is
attributed to improvements
in early detection
and treatment protocols. For
anyone doing the math, over
the last 25 years or so, 322,000
lives have been saved from
breast cancer.
A similar scenario has
unfolded in Canada. Breast
cancer mortality rates in Canada
recently decreased to 21.4
Early detection and better treatment options are improving the chances of surviving breast
cancer.
percent, down from 21.8 percent
in 2011, states data from
the Canadian Cancer Society.
Currently, the five-year survival
rate for breast cancer among
Canadians is 87 percent, and
the five-year net survival in the
United States is 85 percent.
Increased knowledge about
breast cancer, early detection
through examinations and
mammography, and improved
treatments are helping to drive
up the survival rates of breast
cancer. Although this does not
make diagnosis any less scary,
it does offer hope to those
recently diagnosed.
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/Breastcancer.org
