Title: Breast Cancer Survival Rates Improve Over 40 Years

Breast cancer survival rates have significantly improved over the past four decades, coinciding with the launch of Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiatives. While the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has risen, the death rates have decreased, and five-year survival rates have increased. Most cases are now detected at earlier stages, which enhances treatment effectiveness.

Dr. Julia McGuinness, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, noted, "It’s so exciting to be someone treating breast cancer because we can see that our treatments and improvements in treatments are actually making women live longer on average."

Breast cancer death rates remained stable during the late 1970s and 1980s but have been declining since 1989, with some fluctuations. In 1975, there were 31.45 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 women. By 2023, this figure dropped to 18.55 deaths per 100,000 women, according to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. McGuinness explained that earlier detection has allowed for timely treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, which can lower the risk of cancer recurrence. She stated, "It's a very encouraging trend to see that even though more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, on average, they're living longer, and fewer women treated for early breast cancer will have their cancer recur."

The five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer patients has also improved. In 1975, the rate was 76.16%. By 2017, it had risen to 93.2%. McGuinness highlighted advancements in treatment, saying, "Our treatments have also improved dramatically and, even in the past decade, we've seen approvals for drugs that are making women with metastatic breast cancer live, on average, several years longer than they were even a decade ago."

Recent data indicates that two-thirds of female breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a localized stage, meaning the cancer is confined to the breast. Between 2018 and 2022, about 25% of cases were found at a regional stage, while 6% were diagnosed at a distant stage. McGuinness attributed the increase in early-stage diagnoses to improved screening methods. She stated, "Mammography screening programs were introduced in the 1970s and, since then, more women are engaged in screening mammograms, which improves our chances of catching breast cancer at an early stage that is more easily treatable with a lower chance of coming back."

Looking ahead, McGuinness expressed optimism for continued advancements in breast cancer detection and treatment. She said, "We’re constantly -- even every month, even every week -- moving the needle towards better outcomes. I think the really beautiful thing about treating breast cancer is that we have so many options, and it really becomes a discussion with patients about the right options for them."

In addition to these statistics, experts emphasize the importance of early detection. October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it serves as a reminder of the disease's impact. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Since the 1980s, breast cancer rates have decreased by nearly 50%, largely due to increased awareness and screening efforts.

Martha Gamez-Smith, a breast cancer survivor, shared her experience. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago and faced another diagnosis earlier this year. "I was scared because I thought the first time was sort of a fluke. And this one was a completely different breast cancer," she said.

Dr. Jessica Treviño Jones, an associate professor at the Mays Cancer Center, noted that many breast cancer cases arise spontaneously, without a family history. Common risk factors include age, inherited genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2, family history, dense breast tissue, and having children later in life. The American Cancer Society estimates that a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 13%, or 1 in 8.

Approximately 316,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year, with an estimated 42,000 women projected to die from the disease in 2025. Dr. Treviño Jones emphasized the importance of regular screenings, recommending that women start at age 40 or earlier if they have a family history. "It doesn't take a lot of time," Gamez-Smith added. "It is something that if you make it part of yourself, you can impact others because you're having that conversation every single year with your loved ones."