How many women develop breast cancer each year?
For 2008, it is estimated that 252,000 new cases of breast cancer (stages 0-4) will be diagnosed. Women have a one in seven chance of developing breast cancer over the course of a 90-year lifespan. Caucasian women have a slightly higher risk for developing breast cancer than Americans of African, Hispanic or Asian heritage. What are the factors that put a woman at higher risk for breast cancer? The two most significant risk factors are being female and getting older. The majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no other known risk factors. Other factors are previous breast or ovarian cancer, a first degree relative who had breast cancer, having your first period younger, beginning menopause later, never being pregnant, having your first child after age 30 and having a mutated breast cancer gene.
