Breast Cancer

• Second only to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women.
• Of all the cancers, only lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer.
• Scientists estimate that 211,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 58,490 cases of carcinoma in situ of the breast will be diagnosed among US women in 2005.
• In 2005, an estimated 40,410 women will die of breast cancer in the United States.
• If detected early, the 5-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 98%, as compared to an 80% survival rate in the 1950s.
• 75% of all breast cancers occur in women over 50 years of age.
• The risk of breast cancer increases with age.
• A mammogram exposes a woman to less radiation than a dental x-ray.
• In Kansas an estimated 1,990 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005; an estimated 380 will die.
• Scientists have found that regular screening mammograms among women 50-69 years of age can reduce deaths by 30%.
• . The death rate from breast cancer declined by 2.3% per year from 1990 to 2001; these decreases are thought to be due to increased awareness, earlier detection through screening, and improved treatment.

Cervical Cancer

• The incidence of invasive cervical cancer has decreased significantly over the last 40 years, mainly because of Pap tests and treatment of precancerous conditions.
• A Pap test can detect abnormal cells before they become cancerous and treatment can prevent cancer.
• In 2005, an estimated 10,370 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States.
• In 2005, an estimated 3,710 women will die of this disease in the United States.
• Kansas averages 108 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed annually.
• When cervical conditions are discovered and treated at a pre-cancerous stage, the survival rate is nearly 100%.
• Routine screening can prevent cervical cancer.

*Statistics are from the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2005. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2005.