* Known and probable breast cancer risk factors

Breast Cancer Facts

  • The most common risk factors for developing breast cancer are being a woman and growing older.
  • Eighty percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors.
  • Breast Cancer accounts for 30 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women.
  • Breast cancer is the second cause of death for of women between the ages 35 and 54.
  • When breast cancer is confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is over 95%.

Breast cancer does not discriminate

  • Breast cancer is a random disease that is not predictable.
  • We do not know what causes breast cancer, nor do we have a cure for it at this time.
  • Every three minutes, a new case of breast cancer is diagnosed.
  • One in eight women will be diagnosed with this disease in her lifetime.
  • Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women between the ages of 40 and 59.
  • Men are not immune. An expected 1,500 men have been diagnosed in 2001; 400 have died from the disease.
  • In 2001, 3,200 new breast cancer cases were reported in Michigan and 700 Michigan residents died from the disease.

The negative statistics of breast cancer can be reduced.

The fight against breast cancer is ongoing. The need for continual research to find a cure for this disease grows more urgent as the number of breast cancer patients increases with each year.

  • Early detection with follow-up care is critical for survival.
  • Over 95 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage survive for more than five years.
  • Research reveals that the mortality rate could decrease by 30 percent (13,000 lives) if all women age 55 and older in need of a mammogram had one.
  • The mission of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.

Every day, every step is about putting an end to breast cancer. Some day, we will throw away the pink ribbon pins and live a breast cancer free life.

For more information, please contact Komen SW Michigan Affiliate