Breast cancer rates have risen by 1% annually over the past decade, with the sharpest increase in women under 50, according to a new report released Tuesday by the American Cancer Society.
But breast cancer deaths have declined by 44% since 1989, preventing about 517,900 deaths, according to the report. This is largely because of improvements in treatment and earlier screening.
The American Cancer Society released its biennial update on breast cancer trends Tuesday, marking the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“The encouraging news is breast cancer mortality rates continue to decrease, thanks to advances in early detection and treatment,” said Angela Giaquinto, associate scientist for cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study. “But future progress may be thwarted by increasing incidence, especially among younger women, and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as delayed diagnosis due to interruptions in screening.”
Georgia ranks 11th among U.S. states for breast cancer mortality and 24th for incidences, about in line with the national average.
In Georgia, about 130 out of every 100,000 people were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2017 to 2021, and about 20 people out of 100,000 died from breast cancer around that same period, according to the latest data.
Though women under 50 have a low overall risk, breast cancer has become increasingly prevalent in younger women.
“There is a slightly higher increase in the rate of breast cancer diagnosis for women who are under age 50 versus those that are above age 50,” said Karen Knudsen, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “These are things we are watching to try to understand.”
Researchers also are trying to understand the racial disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and mortality. Black women have a lower survival rate for breast cancer than white women, no matter the stage of the disease.
“Women today are a lot less likely to die from breast cancer, but alarming disparities still remain, especially for Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native American and Black women,” Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at ACS, said in Tuesday’s release.
That racial disparity is clear in Georgia. Despite having almost identical incidence rates, Black women in Georgia are 39% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, according to the latest data.
ACS is recruiting women ages 25 to 55 to participate in VOICES of Black women, an initiative aimed at addressing the ongoing cancer disparities that Black women face.
Recent research has found that several types of cancer are showing up in young people at surprising rates. In January, a study released by ACS researchers found an alarming number of colorectal cancer cases in young adults.
Dahut said in January that better screening could have some role in more cancers being diagnosed, but he said other factors, especially rising obesity rates, are likely driving the rise in cancer.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, following skin cancer.
This year, ACS estimates, there will be 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in women, and about 42,250 women will die from the disease.
About 9,800 of those cases and 1,400 of those deaths will occur in Georgia, according to an ACS report earlier this year.
Although breast cancer in men is rare, it often is diagnosed at later stages because there is no regular screening protocol. This year, 2,790 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and 530 men will die from the disease, according to estimates.
The ACS recommends annual screenings starting at 45 for women with normal risk factors, with the option to start screening at 40.
