Oct. 1, 2024 – For women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, it’s becoming more important to do self-breast exams, have annual checkups, and live a cancer-preventive lifestyle.
Although more and more women are surviving breast cancer, the disease is becoming more common, particularly at younger ages. A new report shows the breast cancer rate rose by 1% annually from 2012 to 2021, with even greater increases among women under age 50 and a startling jump even among women in their 20s.
The death rate has dropped by 44% in the past 3 decades, according to figures published Tuesday by the American Cancer Society.
“Breast cancer typically has no symptoms when it is small and easily treated, which is why mammography screening is important for early detection,” the report authors wrote. “A painless lump in the breast or underarm lymph nodes is the most common sign, but other signs and symptoms include breast pain or heaviness; dimpling, swelling, thickening, or redness; and nipple changes or discharge. Any persistent change in the breast should be evaluated by a physician.”
Federal recommendations were updated this year to now advise that mammograms begin at age 40, although the American Cancer Society recommends starting no later than age 45 while considering the option to starting screening at age 40.
“Most women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors,” the authors wrote. “Approximately 30% of cases can be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors, such as excess body weight (postmenopausal breast cancer), physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption.”
The report carried grim information for young and middle-aged women, and noted troubling and persistent disparities for some groups of women who have lower survival rates, likely due to late diagnosis and less access to high-quality treatments.
Before the age of 50, 1 in 50 women are now expected to get breast cancer. Overall, 13% of women will have breast cancer in their lifetime, which is the same lifetime risk that men face for prostate cancer.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer for U.S. women, behind skin cancer. It kills 42,250 women annually, just behind 59,280 lung cancer deaths, which is the top cause of cancer deaths among women. An estimated 310,720 women and 2,790 men will get breast cancer this year.
The greatest increase in overall breast cancer risk was seen among Asian American/Pacific Islander women of all ages, who saw a rise of 2.5% or more each year in the risk of breast cancer from 2012 to 2021 – more than double the increase compared to other groups. The researchers noted that Asian American/Pacific Islander women had the lowest rate of breast cancer in 2000.
Breast cancer is also becoming more common among Hispanic women, and it is the leading cause of cancer death among them.
Black women continue to have the lowest survival rate for nearly every subtype and stage of breast cancer.
The researchers noted that 67% of women ages 40 and older had a breast cancer screening in the past 2 years, but the rate was much lower for American Indian/Alaska Native women, at just 51%. The rate of breast cancer screening also varied geographically among women ages 40 and older, from a 58% past-2-year screening rate in Wyoming to a 77% rate in Rhode Island.
“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 Dahut, MD, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, said in a statement. “These gaps need to be rectified through systematic efforts to ensure access to high-quality screening and treatment for every woman.”
