The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2009:

• 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer
• 40,170 deaths from breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Last Medical Review: 09/29/2009
Last Revised: 09/29/2009