One in eight. That's the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life, making it the second most common cancer among women in the US, after skin cancer. While women over 50 constitute 65 to 70 percent of breast cancer cases, one in 200 women will be diagnosed before their 40th birthday, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). And for these women, the prognosis is often much worse. Why? Because breast cancer in younger women is more likely due to an abnormal genetic component and more often occurs in both breasts.
The good news is that breast cancer death rates in all groups have steadily declined since 1990, likely as a result of earlier detection and advancements in treatments available.