Breast Cancer Set to Rise 50 Percent in the U.S. - What You Need To Know

By Staff Reporter - 20 Apr '15 11:19AM

A new alarming report suggests breast cancer cases in the U.S. are predicted to rise by as much as 50 percent by 2030, government researchers reported Monday.

The study, which will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015, suggests that the poor outcomes may be due to the increased survival mechanisms inside the cancer cells.

"Although breast cancer overall is going to increase, different subtypes of breast cancer are moving in different directions and on different trajectories," Rosenberg said in a statement.

There is some "good news," however, said study leader Philip Rosenberg, a senior investigator at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Rosenberg is scheduled to present the findings Monday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Philadelphia. Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

He said the increase in those cancers is thought to be related to certain "Western" lifestyle factors -- such as obesity, lack of exercise and exposure to hormones (through birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, for instance).

The group estimated that the total number of new breast cancer cases would increase from 283,000 in 2011 to an estimated 441,000 in 2030. The proportion of invasive estrogen-receptor-positive cancers was expected to hold steady at 63 percent, while that of estrogen-receptor-positive cancers that had not spread to other parts of the body was expected to increase, from 19 percent to 29 percent.

According to the statement, the team said it embarked on its study to help oncologists define a "proactive road map" for prevention and treatment in the future.

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