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Female Breast Cancer Mortality Has Stopped Declining in Certain Age Groups

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 11, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2025 -- Breast cancer mortality rates have stopped declining in U.S. women aged 20 to 39 years and in those aged 75 years and older, according to a study published online March 6 in the Journal of Breast Imaging.

Debra L. Monticciolo, M.D., and R. Edward Hendrick, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, analyzed recent trends in U.S. breast cancer mortality rates by age group and race and ethnicity in a retrospective analysis using National Center for Health Statistics data from 1990 to 2022.

The researchers found that from 1990 to 2010, there was a 2.8 percent decrease per year in breast cancer mortality rates for women aged 20 to 39 years, but no decline was seen from 2010 to 2022. For women aged 40 to 74 years, there was a 1.7 to 3.9 percent decline in breast cancer mortality rates per year from 1990 to 2022; this decline was seen for all cohorts except Asian women. Breast cancer mortality rates decreased significantly from 1993 to 2013 for women aged 75 years and older, with no evidence of decline from 2013 to 2022. Breast cancer mortality rates declined for White and Black women but not for Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women across all ages. Significantly increasing mortality rates were seen for Asian women aged 75 years and older. Breast cancer mortality rates were 39 percent higher in Black than White women for 2004 to 2022 and varied by age group.

"These results suggest that current screening and treatment strategies might be becoming less effective," the authors write.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted March 2025

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