Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S.1 About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their life. Because of how common breast cancer is in women, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the U.S after lung cancer.2 However, because of advances in screening technologies and treatments as well as awareness, the death rate decreased by 1% per year from 2013 to 2018.1 As of 2021, breast cancer has become the most common cancer worldwide accounting for roughly 12% of all cancers diagnosed each year.2

Women with an immediate family member (parent, sibling, or child) that was diagnosed with breast cancer have nearly two times the risk of developing breast cancer. However, less than 15% of women who develop breast cancer have a relative who was also diagnosed. Roughly 5-10% of breast cancer cases are linked to inherited gene mutations such as mutations in the BRCA gene[MB1] . Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common inherited gene mutations that cause cancer. The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer increases from around 13% to 72% for women with a BRCA1 mutation and 69% for women with a BRCA2 mutation. Men with a BRCA2 mutation have a risk of developing breast cancer that has increased from 0.12% to 6.8%.2

 [MB1]Link to ‘BRCA gene mutations’ article

References

1.     How Common Is Breast Cancer? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html (accessed Jun 22, 2021).

2.     U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics (accessed Jun 23, 2021).