Clinical Implications of Breast Cancer

Abstract

In the USA, for 2015 estimated are 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer (BC) and 60,290 new cases of DCIS resulting in 40,290 deaths among women. The same year, about 2350 men were diagnosed with breast cancer and 440 men died from the disease. These figures make BC the leading malignancy in females with a 29% share and second in morbidity with 14% behind only lung cancer. The picture is similar in most Western and developed countries. Although the annual incidence of BC in the USA has a 2% decline between years 1999 and 2005, it is still increasing in developing countries. Encouraging though is the fact that since 1990 death rates decrease worldwide, reflecting the progress made in early diagnosis and treatment. More than 3.1 million US women with a history of breast cancer were alive on January 1, 2014. We live in an era where technological advancement in breast imaging and individualized treatments can and will take this achievement a step further.