It wasn’t until I met with the Radiation Oncologist that I gained a bigger picture of breast cancer. He was the first provider I met with who went beyond the treatments and statistics for my personal cancer journey. His numbers were overwhelming, but in the end, very encouraging.
Here are some of the current statistics for breast cancer from the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
Estimated new Breast Cancer Cases in 2023: 297,790
Estimated number of deaths due to Breast Cancer in 2023: 43,170
Average 5 year survival rate (from 2013-2019): 90.8%
Number of women who will develop Breast Cancer in their life: 1 in 8
Number of men who will develop Breast Cancer in their life: 1 in 833
World statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO):
2020 worldwide Breast Cancer diagnosis: 2.3 million
2020 worldwide deaths from Breast Cancer: 685 000
2020 worldwide women living with Breast Cancer: 7.8 million
Worldwide Breast Cancer occurrence rates in men: 0.5–1%
Ethnic statistics from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, INC:
Black women:
40% more likely to die than white women,1 in 5 develop the hardest breast cancer to treat (higher than any other group)
Hispanic women:
20% lower rate than any other group, leading cause of death
Alaska Native, Asian, American Indian, and Pacific Islander:
Lowest death rate of any group, most likely to be diagnosed at earlier stages
Resources:
The Nurse Writes 