Authors

Angela N. Giaquinto MSPH | Hyuna Sung PhD | Lisa A. Newman MD, MPH | Rachel A. Freedman MD, MPH | Robert A. Smith PhD | Jessica Star MA, MPH | Ahmedin Jemal DVM, PhD | Rebecca L. Siegel MPH

Abstract

This is the American Cancer Society’s biennial update of statistics on breast cancer among women based on high‐quality incidence and mortality data from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer incidence continued an upward trend, rising by 1% annually during 2012–2021, largely confined to localized‐stage and hormone receptor‐positive disease. A steeper increase in women younger than 50 years (1.4% annually) versus 50 years and older (0.7%) overall was only significant among White women. Asian American/ Pacific Islander women had the fastest increase in both age groups (2.7% and 2.5% per year, respectively); consequently, young Asian American/Pacific Islander women had the second lowest rate in 2000 (57.4 per 100,000) but the highest rate in 2021 (86.3 per 100,000) alongside White women (86.4 per 100,000), surpassing Black women (81.5 per 100,000). In contrast, the overall breast cancer death rate continuously declined during 1989–2022 by 44% overall, translating to 517,900 fewer breast cancer deaths during this time. However, not all women have expe rienced this progress; mortality remained unchanged since 1990 in American In dian/Alaska Native women, and Black women have 38% higher mortality than White women despite 5% lower incidence. Although the Black‐White disparity partly reflects more triple‐negative cancers, Black women have the lowest survival for every breast cancer subtype and stage except localized disease, with which they are 10% less likely to be diagnosed than White women (58% vs. 68%), highlighting disadvantages in social determinants of health. Progress against breast cancer could be accelerated by mitigating racial, ethnic, and social disparities through improved clinical trial representation and access to high‐quality screening and treatment.

Introduction

Despite decades of declining mortality through earlier detection and advancements in treatment, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women overall and the leading cause of cancer death in Black and Hispanic women. Continued progress may be thwarted by rising breast cancer incidence and long‐ term consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, such as delayed diagnosis because of interruptions in routine care. For example, breast cancer screening prevalence in the United States and Canada declined by an estimated 45% overall during January through October 2020 according to one review, and past‐year mammography had not returned to prepandemic levels in 2021. Disturbances in care were greater and recovery slower in minoritized populations, which may further widen racial and ethnic disparities in breast cancer mortality. However, the impact of these disruptions on population‐level breast cancer occurrence and outcomes will play out slowly over time. 

Herein, the American Cancer Society provides its biennial update of breast cancer statistics among women in the United States, including the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths in 2024 by age; incidence and mortality rates and trends by age, race and ethnicity, stage, molecular subtype, and state; 5‐year breast cancer survival by stage at diagnosis and breast cancer subtype; and self‐reported mammography prevalence nationally and by state.

Conclusions

Breast cancer mortality rates continued to decline steadily from 1989 through 2022, with an overall drop of 44% that translates to almost 518,000 fewer women dying from breast cancer in the United States during this time. This progress is the result of advances in treatment and earlier detection through screening. However, these interventions have not been disseminated equally. Asian women have experienced no reduction in mortality, and Black women have 38% higher mortality than White women despite lower incidence. Black women have the lowest survival of any racial and ethnic group for every breast cancer subtype and stage of disease except localized‐stage, with which they are 10% less likely than White women to be diagnosed. Also concerning is the continued rise in breast cancer incidence that is particularly striking among Hispanic and AAPI women, who are vulnerable to challenges in access to care. Progress against breast cancer could be accelerated by mitigating racial disparities through increased racial diversity in clinical trials as well as community partnerships and other initiatives that increase access to high‐quality screening and treatment among underserved women. 

This is an open-access article by the American Cancer Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License.