In a report released Tuesday, the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that breast cancer mortality continues to decline, but women being diagnosed has increased by 9 percent since 2012 for those under 50.
Released on the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the new report finds breast cancer mortality rates overall have dropped by 44 percent since 1989, averting an estimated 517,900 breast cancer deaths.
The encouraging trend reflects an overall drop in cancer mortality owing to significant improvements in treatments and prevention. Last month, the American Association for Cancer Research reported that overall cancer deaths have dropped by 33 percent over the last 30 years.
Though a higher percentage of breast cancer patients survive their ordeal, the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer has been steadily on the rise in the last decade.
Breast cancer incidence rose by 1 percent annually from 2012 to 2021, counting women of all ages. However, a concerning trend revealed itself among women below 50, where incidences rose by 1.4 percent per year, the ACS said in a news release.
“The encouraging news is breast cancer mortality rates continue to decrease thanks to advances in early detection and treatment,” said Angela Giaquinto, lead author of the study.
“But future progress may be thwarted by increasing incidence, especially among younger women, and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as delayed diagnosis due to interruptions in screening.”
The report analyzed cancer incidence and mortality data collected by the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Center for Health Statistics.
Despite better survival rates, ethnic and racial disparities persist, with virtually no drop in mortality rates among Native American women over the last three decades.
The ACS found that black women continue to experience a 38 percent higher mortality rate than white women despite having a 5 percent lower incidence rate. Similarly, native American and Alaska Native women (AIAN) had a 6 percent higher mortality rate but a 10 percent lower incidence rate than white women.
When it comes to screening, the ACS found that only 51 percent of AIAN women over 40 have undergone a mammography in the past two years, compared to 68 percent of white women.
To combat these disparities, ACS launched the VOICES of Black Women study in May 2024, aiming to enroll 100,000 Black women to understand breast cancer risks and outcomes better.
ACS is also advocating for the expansion of access to screening programs for underserved populations. The proposed SCREENS for Cancer Act would reauthorize and expand the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides vital screenings for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women.
“Building upon the progress we have made in reducing breast cancer mortality rates requires ensuring more individuals have access to breast cancer screenings,” said Lisa A. Lacasse, president of the ACS’s Cancer Action Network. “We urge Congress to take this step towards saving lives from cancer while reducing costs for our health care system.”
In 2024, an estimated total of 310,720 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the U.S., with approximately 42,250 women expected to die from the disease. Additionally, 2,790 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, with 530 fatalities expected, the ACS said.