A new study conducted by the American Cancer Society revealed that deaths resulting from breast cancer have been steadily decreasing for more affluent women in the US since 1990. By contrast, lower-income women have not experienced the same rate of decline and were 7 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than their more affluent counterparts.
Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, stated, “In general, progress in reducing breast cancer death rates is being seen across races/ethnicities, socioeconomic status, and across the U.S. However, not all women have benefitted equally. Poor women are now at greater risk for breast cancer death because of less access to screening and better treatments. This continued disparity is impeding real progress against breast cancer, and will require renewed efforts to ensure that all women have access to high-quality prevention, detection, and treatment services.”
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2011, “230,480 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.” Following skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women living in the United States.
American Cancer Society 10/3/11; Huffington Post 10/3/11
