What is the average American woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer?
The following table shows the average American woman’s chances of dying from breast cancer and from any cause during the next 10 years, starting at different ages.* Woman’s Age, Years Chance of Dying From Breast Cancer in Next 10 Years Chance of Dying From Any Cause in Next 10 Years 40-44 0.27% (1 in 370) 2.10% (1 in 48) 45-49 0.42% (1 in 238) 3.30% (1 in 30) 50-54 0.55% (1 in 182) 5.10% (1 in 20) 55-59 0.68% (1 in 147) 8.10% (1 in 12) 60-64 0.83% (1 in 120) 12.00% (1 in 8) 65-69 0.97% (1 in 103) 18.00% (1 in 6) 70-74 1.10% (1 in 91) 27.00% (1 in 4) 75-79 1.20% (1 in 83) 41.00% (1 in 2) 80-84 1.20% (1 in 83) 67.00% (2 in 3) >85 1.10% (1 in 91) 79.00% (4 in 5) *Adapted from Schwartz LM, Woloshin LM, Welch HG. Risk communication in clinical practice: putting cancer in context. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs 1999; 25:124-133. • What factors increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer? In general, a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer increases gradually a
