Facts About Breast Cancer in the United States: Year 2005

The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending breast cancer through action and advocacy. NBCC members are committed to reaching this difficult goal. Following are some statistics that speak to the need to end this deadly disease:

• The American Cancer Society estimates that a woman in the United States has a 1 in 7 chance of developing invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. This risk was about 1 in 11 in 1975. ¹

   

• More women in the United States are living with breast cancer than any other cancer (excluding skin cancer). Approximately 3 million women in the U.S. are living with breast cancer: slightly over 2 million have been diagnosed with the disease and an estimated 1 million who do not yet know they have the disease.