U.S. Cancer Statistics Breast Cancer Stat Bite
In the United States in 2020—
- 239,612 new breast cancers were reported in females.
- 42,273 females died from breast cancer.
Females had much higher rates of getting breast cancer than dying from breast cancer.
Stage Distribution
From 2016 to 2020, about 2 in 3 female breast cancer cases were diagnosed at a localized stage, meaning the cancer had not spread outside the breast. About 1 in 4 female breast cancers were found at a regional stage (the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs), and 6% were found at a distant stage (the cancer had spread to distant parts of the body).
5-Year Relative Survival
90% of female breast cancer patients who were diagnosed from 2013 to 2019 had not died from their cancer 5 years later.
Survival is higher when breast cancer is found before it has spread to other parts of the body. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before big enough to feel or cause symptoms.
Among females diagnosed with breast cancer from 2015 to 2019, 1,097,918 were still alive on January 1, 2020.
2020 cancer incidence was lower than in 2019, and this may have been because of the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on cancer screening, diagnosis, and reporting to some central cancer registries in 2020. This report uses cancer incidence statistics from 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect survival and prevalence statistics which use data through 2019. For more information, see Highlights From 2020 Incidence.
For more cancer data, visit U.S. Cancer Statistics. Use the Data Visualizations tool to make your own tables, graphs, and maps.
Data Sources
Data are from U.S. Cancer Statistics, the official federal cancer statistics.
U.S. Cancer Statistics incidence data are from population-based registries that participate in CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR), the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, or both programs and met high-quality data criteria for the 2022 data submission, covering 97% of the U.S. population.
U.S. Cancer Statistics death data are from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System and cover 100% of the U.S. population.
U.S. Cancer Statistics survival and prevalence data are from 39 NPCR registries that met high-quality data criteria for the 2022 data submission and conducted linkage with the National Death Index and/or active patient follow-up, covering 83% of the U.S. population. Five-year relative survival estimates are based on cases diagnosed from 2013 to 2019. Five-year limited-duration prevalence estimates are based on cases diagnosed from 2015 to 2019.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Cancer Statistics Female Breast Cancer Stat Bite. US Department of Health and Human Services; 2023.