Breast cancers are the most common form of cancer in the United States. What’s more, the scary disease is expected to increase by almost 50 percent in 15 years, according to new information from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and reported by the Washington Post.
Currently, reports show that about one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2011, disease investigators reported 283,000 diagnosed cases of breast cancer. By 2030, experts predict, that number will balloon to about 441,000 women.
NCI experts said three health trends contribute to the predicted uptick in breast cancer cases: A growing number of older women in the population as the baby boomer generation ages; an increased life expectancy, which automatically makes it more likely for women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes; and, most worrisome, a clear rise in the number of estrogen-receptive tumors caused by a change in circumstances and lifestyle.
But before you worry too much, some experts previously cautioned that excessive screening for breast cancer results in over-diagnosis of the disease, especially for non-life-threatening cases.
One expert from the American Cancer Society said women were getting unnecessary mastectomies for ductal carcinoma in situ—a noninvasive disease that’s not a cancer—just because its name is associated with cancer.
For more information about breast cancer risk factors, click here.
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