CT Breast Health Initiative

• About 1 in 8 women in the United States (12%) will
  develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive
  breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S.,
  along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.
• About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast
  cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2010. Less than
  1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.
• From 1998 to 2007, breast cancer incidence rates
  in the U.S. decreased by about 2% per year. One theory is that
  this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement
  therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the
  Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested
  a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
• About 39,840 women in the U.S. were expected to
  die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing
  since 1990. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment
  advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are
  higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly
  diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers in women
  (about 28%) are breast cancer.
• Compared to African American women, white women are
  slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of
  it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more
  aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of
  other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a
  lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and
  African American women.
• In 2010, there were more than 2.5 million breast
  cancer survivors in the U.S.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles
  if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been
  diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast
  cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
• About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene
  mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father.
  Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2
  genes are the most common. Women
  with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer
  during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a
  younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also
  associated with these genetic mutations. In men, about 1 in 10 breast
  cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations and even fewer cases
  to BRCA1 mutations.
• About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have
  no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic
  abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in
  general, rather than inherited mutations.
• The most significant risk factors
  for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).

Following is a look at how breast cancer is affecting women in the United States.  The CT Breast Health Initiative sponsors a number of events in support of breast cancer research and education in Connecticut. Please click here for a list of these events.