February 11, 2019 (Medical News Today)
Women’s health has significantly improved over the past few decades, according to an analysis of mortality rates relating to breast cancer, an improvement that can be credited to breast cancer screenings and better treatment.
On average, a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer throughout her lifetime is 12 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. Furthermore, the society estimates that in 2019, around 268,600 women in the United States will receive a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Although breast cancer incidence rates increasing by 0.4 percent every year, mortality rates due to this disease are declining.
A new report put together by investigators from several universities indicated that within the last 3 decades, mortality rates relating to breast cancer has dropped down to approximately half as much.
The report also states that this significant decrease in mortality rates is mainly due to women getting yearly breast cancer screenings. The rates have also decreased due to better access to improved therapy after receiving a diagnosis.
To give some stats, since 1990, researchers state that breast cancer mortality rates have decreased from 1.8 to 3.4 percent per year. In 2018, there was an estimated 45.3 to 58.3 percent decrease in breast cancer death rates. Ultimately, since 1989, breast cancer screening as well as improved access to better treatment has led to between 384,046 and 614,484 fewer related deaths overall.
Despite these findings, only about half of women aged 40 and older partake in an annual breast cancer screening. Hopefully, in lieu of these findings, more and more women will choose to get screened because early detection and early treatment can result in better outcomes.