Factors such as age, race, and sex can all affect your breast cancer outlook. However, when this cancer is caught early on, 5-year survival rates are very high and the outlook is generally positive.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting women and the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide. About
The American Cancer Society (ACS) predicts that
When you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, your doctor will estimate the likely course and outcome of your condition. This varies from person to person, and several factors can affect your outlook, including your age and the type, grade, and size of the cancer.
Below, we’ll explore what we know about the outlook for breast cancer based on several factors, including the extent of the cancer, your age, and your race. Keep reading to learn more.
Language matters
You’ll notice that the language used to share stats and other data points in this article is pretty binary, fluctuating between the use of “male” and “female” or “men” and “women.” Although we typically avoid language like this, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and findings.
Unfortunately, the studies and surveys referenced in this article did not include data on, or include, participants who were transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, or genderless.
Survival rates can give you an overall idea of your cancer outlook, but there are some important things to know about these numbers.
Breast cancer survival rates are based on data that looks at a very large number of women with breast cancer. For example, the survival rates reported by the ACS rely on data from the
Because survival rates use data from a large sample of women, they don’t account for individual factors such as:
Additionally, the outlook for women who have received a breast cancer diagnosis more recently is often better than older survival rates would suggest. This is because breast cancer treatments continually improve each year, so the outlook is gradually getting better and better.
It’s important to use survival rates only as a reference point and not to rely on them as predictors of your individual outcome.
What about breast cancer in men?
Breast cancer in men is rare. Currently, the average lifetime risk is about
However, men are
Breast cancer stages explain how much the cancer has grown and how far it has spread. Generally, the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, the higher the chances for long-term survival.
| Stage 0 (in situ) | This is a precancerous stage with no invasive cancer cells. |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 (localized) | The tumor is small and localized to the breast. There may be a small amount of cancer in nearby lymph nodes. |
| Stage 2 (localized) | The tumor is still localized to the breast but is larger and may have spread to several nearby lymph nodes. |
| Stage 3 (regional) | This stage includes cancers that have spread to the skin, the chest wall, or multiple lymph nodes in or near the breast. |
| Stage 4 (distant) | This is metastatic breast cancer, meaning it has spread to one or more distant parts of the body, most commonly the bones, lungs, or liver. |
The stages of breast cancer are based on the following factors:
- tumor size
- whether the lymph nodes contain cancer cells
- whether the cancer has spread to more distant parts of the body
Since 2018, the following factors have also been used to determine breast cancer stage:
- whether the cancer cells have hormone receptors and need estrogen or progesterone to grow
- whether the cancer cells have the HER2 protein that helps them grow
- tumor “grade,” which describes how aggressive the cells look under a microscope
Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you age. According to the NCI, breast cancer is most often diagnosed in women who are
Source:
Breast cancer relative survival rates compare the number of women with breast cancer to the overall population to estimate how long they are likely to live after their diagnosis.
For example, if the relative survival rate for a stage of breast cancer during a 5-year period is 90%, it means that women with that cancer are 90% as likely to survive for 5 years after diagnosis as women who do not have that cancer.
As mentioned earlier, survival rates are based on information from the SEER database. SEER does not group breast cancers into stages 0–4. Instead, it groups them into the following stages:
- Localized: The cancer has not spread outside the breast.
- Regional: The cancer has spread outside the breast to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
- Distant: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, or bones.
There’s a significant disparity in survival rates between white women and women of color. The chart below, courtesy of the
Source:
The NCI reports that
The 5-year relative survival rate for women with localized breast cancer at the time of diagnosis is about 99%.
For women who receive a diagnosis of regional breast cancer, that figure drops to about 86%. And women who receive a diagnosis of distant breast cancer have about a 31% likelihood of surviving for 5 years.
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Source:
5-year survival rates for men
According to the
| Cancer stage | 5-year survival rate |
|---|---|
| localized | 95% |
| regional | 84% |
| distant | 20% |
| all stages combined | 83% |
Incidence rates and survival rates for breast cancer in women differ fairly widely across races. Below are trends noted by the NCI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Incidence rates by race
White women in the United States are most likely to receive a breast cancer diagnosis. From 2011 to 2017,
| Race | Incidence rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| white | 136.3 |
| Black | 128.3 |
| non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native | 107.4 |
| Hispanic | 98.5 |
| non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander | 106.4 |
Survival rates by race
According to the CDC, based on data from 2020, American Indian and Alaska Native women had the lowest death rate, while Black women had the highest death rate.
This could possibly be due to a lack of access to care.
- poverty
- cultural factors
- social injustice
For example, a
| Race | Death rates per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| Black | 27.1 |
| white | 19.4 |
| Hispanic | 13.7 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 15.6 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 11.6 |
Importance of regular screenings for breast cancer
Regular screening can also help improve survival rates by ensuring that breast cancer is detected and treated early.
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However, the study also highlighted that not meeting the guidelines was associated with socioeconomic factors such as lower income and lack of access to health insurance. Overall, public health agencies are trying to ensure that all women are able to receive timely screening and treatment.
The most important factor that affects breast cancer survival is whether the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. The earlier the diagnosis, the greater the chance of treating breast cancer before it advances.
Other factors also play a role, including your age, your overall health, and whether certain markers, such as HRs and HER2, are present.
Additionally, some types of breast cancer are more aggressive than others. For example, the outlook tends to be less favorable for women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC makes up
Another more aggressive subtype of breast cancer that tends to have a less favorable outlook is inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), which makes up
Both TNBC and IBC are more common in Black women. Also,
Regular screening for breast cancer can help detect it in its earliest stages. Health authorities such as the CDC recommend that women begin screening with an annual mammogram starting at about 40 years of age.
The ACS also
The outlook for breast cancer is best when the disease is detected and treated early. Therefore, it’s important to have an open conversation with a doctor about your risk of developing breast cancer and when you should begin screening.
If you’ve received a breast cancer diagnosis, keep in mind that survival rates are only general statistics. They may not reflect the fact that diagnosis and treatment methods for breast cancer are improving all the time.
Also, everyone is different, and your personal outlook depends on many factors. You can talk with a doctor about your outlook to get a better idea of what to expect.