Breast Cancer Awareness: The Fatality of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S., affecting hundreds of thousands of women every year. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in every 8 women is at risk of developing breast cancer at some point in her life. The incidence rates are higher for women over the age of 50. However, this also means that 7 in every 8 women will never have to deal with the disease. For the percentage of women who are diagnosed, the specialists at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) are prepared to help. We offer state-of-the-art medical treatments, advanced surgical procedures and other support services to help you beat breast cancer.

Though living with breast cancer can make your future unclear, every year thousands of women survive the disease. Breast cancer survival rates can give you a better understanding of how likely it is that treatments and surgeries will be successful, though they don’t tell you how long you will live. No two breast cancer cases are the same, so it’s also important to stay focused on your own journey rather than rely on collected data.

A variety of factors are taken into account when analyzing survival rates, including the stage of breast cancer, your age, overall health, family history, treatments received and response to treatments.

Relative Survival Rates

Relative survival rates are generally given in 5-year increments, although many patients with breast cancer live much longer than 5 years. According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival rate describes the percentage of those who live at least 5 years after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. Though these rates are only estimates, it gives an outlook of women with breast cancer compared to women in the overall population.

Below are the relative survival rates per stage of breast cancer between 2007 and 2013 from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database.

• Stage 0 and Stage I breast cancer: 5-year relative survival rate is close to 100%
• Stage II breast cancer: 5-year relative survival rate is 93%
• Stage III breast cancer: 5-year relative survival rate is 72%
• Stage IV or metastatic breast cancer: 5-year relative survival rate is 22%