Breast Cancer Deaths Continue Decline, American Cancer Society Report Says

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The report used the most recent data available to discern survival rates for women with breast cancer. It found that 89% are still living five years after diagnosis, 82% at 10 years after diagnosis and 75% at 15 years after diagnosis.

According to the report, the incidence of breast cancer diagnoses began to grow by 1.6% annually in 1994 after holding steady since 1987. Many experts believe the increase was tied to more widespread use of hormone replacement therapy, which was shown in 2002 to increase the risk of breast cancer. From 1999 to 2006, the incidence fell by an average of 2% per year. The average decline was driven by a sharp decrease in diagnoses between 2002 and 2003, when a significant percentage of women stopped using HRT, according to the Times/Globe. Some of the decline might also be the result of decreased use of mammography during that period (Maugh, Los Angeles Times/Boston Globe, 10/1).

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