What Is the Survival Rate of Breast Cancer?
If you have been given a breast cancer diagnosis, you are likely thinking about how to get the right treatment for you, but you’ll also want to know your prognosis. Your prognosis is an estimation of how long you’ll survive this disease. It’s simply an educated guess, not an exact guarantee.
Every case is unique. Your doctor will look at several factors when determining your prognosis, like:
The type of breast cancer
The stage (where it is and how big it is)
The grade (how fast it is growing)
Your age and health
Specific details about the cancer cells like if they have hormone receptors, the amount of DNA in them, and gene expression test results
The cancer’s response to treatment
There are two main ways to measure the survival rate of breast cancer, known as breast cancer survival rates and relative survival rates.
Breast cancer survival rates are the percentage of women diagnosed with breast cancer who are alive after a given number of years. For example, the 5-year survival rate of breast cancer is 90%. This means that 90% of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago are still alive today.
Relative survival rates are the chances someone diagnosed with breast cancer will still be alive after a given number of years, compared with people not diagnosed with breast cancer. For example, the 5-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer is 99%,
However you look at survival rates of breast cancer, the earlier the cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis. This is why it is so important to have annual mammograms beginning at age 40, because the survival rate of breast cancer is exponentially higher than when diagnosed in later stages.
If you are a woman aged 40 or older, visit findthe1in8.com to schedule your annual mammogram today.