A Round-Up of the Latest Breast Cancer Statistics 2022

We live in a world of information overload. And taking it all in can, at times, feel overwhelming. This blog aims to shed light on the latest breast cancer statistics, including the rates it is diagnosed and, importantly, breast cancer survival rates. But without making you feel overwhelmed. 

Delving into the numbers can be daunting, but understanding the incidence of breast cancer and the reasons (when available) is an imperative path to being more mindful and taking action when it means the most.

Let’s unpack some cancer-occurring statistics at a cellular level. Breast cancer can arise in two main areas of the breast.

85% begins in the lining cells of the ducts, known as the epithelium, and the remaining 15% occurs in lobules – the glandular tissue of the breast. At first, the cancerous growth is restricted to this duct or lobule, where it is known as being ‘in-situ’. Here, it generally causes no symptoms and has a very small window of potential to spread to other areas of the breast, known as metastasis.

Over a period of time, these in-situ (also known as stage 0) cancers progress at different rates and invade the breast tissue surrounding the area, spreading to the lymph nodes and other organs in the body. Breast cancer treatments are highly effective, especially when the cancer is found early. Treatment varies and can consist of a combination of the following:

• Surgical removal
• Radiation therapy
• Medication (hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted biological therapy)

These treatments can save lives by preventing the growth and spreading of cancer. The key is to detect cancer early, so never skip a screening test.

If the invasive breast cancer is found within the breast tissue only, we see a 5-year survival rate of 99%. This illustrates precisely why early detection is key to survival. More than half of women diagnosed are diagnosed at this stage. 65% to be exact. It is far less likely for young women under 40 to be diagnosed at this early stage of breast cancer, roughly 47% of cases, which can be compared to women over 60, with 68% of cases in this age group. The reason for this is quite simple: most breast cancer screening does not begin before you turn 40 unless there is reason to believe you are at higher risk.

See also: Cancer Risk Factors: What you Can & Can’t Control

While there is of course the difficult side for those who do not win in the fight against cancer, there are many that do. The survival rate outweighs that of the death rate, and like with any illness or disease, it certainly helps to look at the positives. We hold the power in our minds to overcome battles, and a positive mind helps an ailing body to recover.

Let’s look at a quick overview of 2020, amidst the global crisis. 

Over 2 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, with only 685 000 not surviving. 

As of the end of 2020, just short of 8 million women had battled and won the fight against breast cancer, looking at the last five years.  

Based on this, breast cancer is the world’s most prevalent cancer, with more lost disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) than other types of cancer. DALYs are a measurement of the overall burden disease creates, expressed as the number of years an individual has lost as a result of sickness, disability, or death. The objective of this measurement is to compare life and death expectancies globally. But with breast cancer, there are few limitations. Women are diagnosed with breast cancer in every country across the world, at any age (after puberty) and this increases as they get older.

See also: What happens when breast health is disrupted?

Every person’s body is unique and every situation is different. Your doctor or health care practitioner would be the best person to guide you and help you understand your situation and prognosis. Some key areas they will consider are the following:

• The type of breast cancer you have
• The stage of cancer, or where it is and how big it is
• The grade of the cancer, which is how fast it’s growing
• The amount of DNA in them, whether they have hormone receptors
• Your age and overall health
• How the type of cancer responds to treatment

A key part of making a prognosis is looking at breast cancer survival rates. These are numbers researchers collected over years on large groups of people with the same type of cancer. 

Breast cancer survival rates reflect the percentage of women who remain alive five years or more after diagnosis. Advances in methods of diagnosing as well as treating cancer have made for steadily improving survival rates, so the outlook for women diagnosed today is much brighter, illustrated in the statistics below:

• The five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 90%. 
• The ten-year breast cancer survival rate is 84% 
• The invasive 15-year breast cancer relative survival rate is 80%

Finally, let’s look at the age factor of surviving breast cancer.

Five-year survival rates at the age, at the time of diagnosis, are as follows:

• Women younger than 45: 88%
• Ages 45-54: 91%
• Ages 55-64: 91%
• Ages 65-74: 92%
• Women 75 or older: 86%

These numbers look promising because they are! Statistics can mostly be seen as averages, and as much as they are reliable, they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell your story either, as each diagnosis, treatment path, and the eventual outcome is different. Always turn to your doctor to explain cancer survival statistics and how they are applicable to you, and your situation.

Lastly, remember that early detection is always best. Celbrea® is a disposable and affordable thermal screening device that empowers women of all ages to stay on top of monitoring their breast health.

References:

https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/statistics

www.cancer.org

www.who.int

https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/breast-cancer-survival-rates