Did you know ….

• One in 9 women have a chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. That means if nine women live to the age of 85, one of them will develop breast cancer.
• All women are at risk for developing breast cancer.
• Women in Ontario are diagnosed with breast cancer more than any other type of cancer.
• The two biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer are being a woman and getting older, neither of which we can control. 
• 70% of all women with breast cancer have no risk factors other than being a woman. 
• Breast cancer is over 100 times more common in women than in men. 
• Three quarters (75%) of all breast cancers are found in women over age 50.
• The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has increased steadily over the past ten years. However, the number of women dying from breast cancer in Ontario is dropping gradually. This is partly due to better treatment and partly due to early detection from breast screening.
• Breast cancer is most curable when found in its earliest stages. When breast cancer is found and treated early, the five-year survival rate is over 95%.
• Currently, there is no proven method to prevent breast cancer from developing, but when it is found early enough there is a good chance of a cure.
• Mammography (x-ray of the breast) can detect small cancers before they can be felt. Studies show that regular mammograms help lower the chance of dying from breast cancer by up to 30% for women aged 50-69.

Sources:

• National Cancer Institute of Canada: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2001, Toronto, Canada, 2001
• National Cancer Institute of Canada: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2002, Toronto, Canada, 2002
• Canadian Cancer Society
• Ontario Breast Screening Program
• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit's Health Status Report

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