Breast Cancer Incidence Still Rises and Death Rate Still Declines

A new American Cancer Society (ACS) report finds that the incidence of breast cancer in women has continued to increase, rising by 1% a year during 2012 to 2021, for all women combined. These cases are largely confined to localized-stage cancers, which have not spread from the breast, and hormone receptor-positive disease (either estrogen positive or progesterone positive), the most common type of breast cancer.

Typically, the disease occurs in women older than age 50, so it’s concerning that women younger than age 50 saw a steeper increase in breast cancer (increasing 1.4% a year) than women older than 50 (0.7% a year).

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women had the fastest increase in breast cancer incidence for both age groups. AAPI women younger than age 50 had a 2.5% increase in incidence a year and AAPI women older than age 50 had a 2.7% increase. The increase in younger AAPI women is particularly striking because it has moved this population from the second lowest incidence rate in 2000 compared to other racial and ethnic groups to sharing the highest breast cancer incidence rate with White women in 2021.

In contrast to rising incidence, the death rate for breast cancer among women in the United States has dropped 44% from its peak in 1989 to 2022. That translates to nearly 518,000 fewer breast cancer deaths during this time compared to the number that would have occurred if the peak rate had continued.

The continuous decline in breast cancer death rates is attributed to advances in treatment and early detection. But, as with breast cancer incidence rates, there are wide ethnic and racial disparities in death rates. For instance, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women have experienced no decrease in breast cancer death rates over the past three decades. 

The largest breast cancer disparity is between Black and White women. Black women are 38% more likely to die from breast cancer even though they are 5% less likely to be diagnosed with the disease. This is partly because Black women are the least likely to be diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer, when the cancer can usually be treated more effectively. Only 58% of Black women are diagnosed at a localized stage compared to 68% of White women. 

Still, Black and White women have similar survival when the cancer is diagnosed at a localized stage. For diagnoses at a regional- or distant-stage, and for every subtype of breast cancer, Black women have worse survival than White women.

These findings are published in "Breast Cancer Statistics 2024" in CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians, led by ACS cancer surveillance researcher Angela Giaquinto, MSPH, Hyuna Sung, PhD, Robert Smith, PhD, Jessica Star, MA, MPH, and Rebecca Siegel, MPH, as well as their department lead Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD. The same team produced the consumer-friendly companion, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2024-2025. These biennial reports provide detailed analyses of breast cancer occurrence and current information on known risk factors, early detection, and treatment.

We invest more money in breast cancer research than any other type of cancer. ACS-funded researchers have contributed to the development of potentially lifesaving breast cancer drugs, such as tamoxifen and Herceptin. 

As of July 15, 2024, we were funding more than more than $121 million in breast cancer research, with projects ranging from developing new treatments to understanding how the immune system plays a role to better understanding about how diet contributes to the risk of cancer recurring. 

Here are a few ways we’re working on one of our top missions—improving disparities in breast cancer. 

• The ACS  VOICES of Black Women study launched in May 2024. The study aims to enroll over 100,000 Black women in the US between the ages of 25 and 55 from diverse backgrounds and income levels who have not been diagnosed with cancer to better understand the risk of developing cancer and outcomes after treatment.
  
  
• The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for increased funding for The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). This program provides screening to underserved, underinsured, and uninsured communities.
  
  
• ACS CAN also opposes efforts to eliminate or reduce eligibility for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act (BCCPT). The BCCPT provides a pathway for breast and cervical cancer treatment through state Medicaid programs.