September 26, 2007 — The breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to fall by around 2 percent a year, as it has since 1990, according to Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2007-2008, a report on breast cancer statistics and trends produced every other year by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
According to the ACS the figures represent an impressive winning streak for an important indicator of success in the fight against cancer, made possible in large part, the report says, by advances in early detection and treatment.
Those advances have benefited women of some races more than others, data shows. For instance, the cancer death rate for white and Hispanic/Latina women fell by 2.4 percent between 1995 and 2004, but only by 1.6 percent for African-American women. And during the same time period, no change was seen in cancer death rates of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders or American Indians/Alaska Natives.
For more information: www.cancer.org