Breast Cancer Statistics

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second most common cancer overall. 

It is a leading cause of cancer death in less developed countries 

and the second leading cause of cancer death in American women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

Around the World:

• Nearly 1.7 million new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2012.
• Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and men worldwide. In 2012, it represented about 12 percent of all new cancer cases and 25 percent of all cancers in women.
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in 140 of 184 countries worldwide.
• Globally, breast cancer now represents one in four of all cancers in women. 
• Since 2008, worldwide breast cancer incidence has increased by more than 20 percent. Mortality has increased by 14 percent.
  
  

​According to the World Cancer Research Fund International

In the United States:

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women after skin cancer.
• 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2015. 
• 62,570 new cases of breast carcinoma in situ (non-invasive, has not invaded nearby tissue), including ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular carcinoma in situ.
• 40,290 women will die from breast cancer.
• 2,350 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men. 
• 440 men will die from breast cancer. 
• The five-year relative survival rate for female invasive breast cancer patients has improved from 75 percent in the mid-1970s to 90 percent today. 
• The five-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with localized breast cancer (cancer that hasn’t spread to lymph nodes or outside the breast) is 98.5 percent. In cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes (regional stage) or to distant lymph nodes or organs (distant stage), the survival rate falls to 84 percent or 24 percent, respectively.
• There are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S., including women still being treated and those who have completed treatment. 
  
  
  According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2015

For More Information:

1. The American Cancer Society
2. The American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2013-2014 
3. The American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2015
4. National Cancer Institute SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Breast Cancer
5. World Cancer Research Fund International
6. World Health Organization

If you’d like additional information about breast cancer, survivorship, prevention or other cancer-related topics, we suggest visiting these reputable sites to learn more about all aspects of the disease. We recommend the National Cancer Institute’s comprehensive site as a first stop.