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With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting women in the United States. More than 212,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Breast cancer risk becomes greater as women age.
| Between the ages of: |
Your risk of developing breast cancer is: |
| 30 to 40 |
1 in 250 |
| 40 to 50 |
1 in 67 |
| 50 to 60 |
1 in 35 |
| 60 to 70 |
1 in 28 |
Your cumulative lifetime risk - your chance of getting breast cancer from age 0 to the day you die - is 1 in 8 (13%)
Mammograms used in combination with clinical breast exams by a physician are the most effective method of detecting breast cancer. Women over the age of 40 should have a yearly mammogram.
Only 1 or 2 mammograms out of every 1,000 lead to a diagnosis of cancer. Approximately 10% of women will require additional mammograms. Do not be alarmed if this happens to you. Only 8% to 10% of those women will need a biopsy, and 80% of those biopsies will not be cancer.
When detected early, cure rates for breast cancer are 90% and up.
Breast cancer affects more than 1,450 men in the U.S. each year. Experts do not recommend routine screening for men.
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