Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. In spite of medical advances, breast cancer remains a deadly disease all over the world, killing about 519,000 people worldwide in 2004. In the US alone, breast cancer kills nearly 41,116 women and 375 men each year. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is estimated that 192,370 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009; about 40,170 women died of it.
However, the Incidence of breast cancer varies with age and race; from 2002-2006, the median age at diagnosis for breast cancer was 61 years of age. Age and percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer during 2002-2006 were approximately:
- 0.0% for women under age 20
- 1.9% for women between 20 and 34
- 10.5% for women between 35 and 44
- 22.5% for women between 45 and 54
- 23.7% for women between 55 and 64
- 19.6% for women between 65 and 74
- 16.2% for women between 75 and 84
- 5.5% for women aged 85 years or older.
Incidence and death rates by race
| Incidence | Death | |
| White | 127.8 per 100,000 women | 23.9 per 100,000 women |
| Black | 117.7 per 100,000 women | 33.0 per 100,000 women |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 89.5 per 100,000 women | 12.5 per 100,000 women |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 74.4 per 100,000 women | 17.6 per 100,000 women |
| Hispanic | 88.3 per 100,000 women | 15.5 per 100,000 women |
| All Races | 123.8 per 100,000 women | 24.5 per 100,000 women |