Breast Cancer Deaths Declining In Wisconsin

State officials reported that breast cancer incidence and mortality rates in Wisconsin are declining, but not all racial and ethnic groups are benefiting from advances that lead to improvements in survival. The Wisconsin report reveals a key health disparity between white and African American women, showing that even though white women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer.

'While the decline in breast cancer incidence and mortality is encouraging, the need for effective and early screening is still very important to women of all ethnic and racial groups,' said Department of Health and Family Services Secretary Kevin Hayden.

The national decline in reported incidence has been attributed to the sharp drop in women receiving hormone replacement therapy and a recent trend of fewer women getting mammograms. The decline in mortality is largely attributed to earlier detection and improved treatment.

Highlights of the report include:

* In 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), approximately 3,900 women in Wisconsin were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, accounting for more than one in three cancers diagnosed in Wisconsin women.

* During 2000-2004, almost two-thirds of breast cancer cases were diagnosed at an early (localized) stage when treatment is most effective.

* Breast cancer incidence varied by racial and ethnic group, with white women having the highest rate and Asian/Pacific Islander women the lowest rate.

* Breast cancer mortality was highest among African American women and lowest among Hispanic women.

* Between 2000 and 2004, the breast cancer mortality rate among Wisconsin women overall decreased by an average of 2.3 percent annually.

* In 2004, some 770 Wisconsin women died from breast cancer, making it second only to lung cancer as a leading cause of cancer death among women in the state.

Breast cancer is detectable at an early stage by mammograms, and many more lives could be saved by taking advantage of regular screening. This is especially critical for those women in populations with higher mortality for breast cancer. Annual mammograms are recommended by the American Cancer Society for women beginning at age 40, and earlier for those women at higher risk (such as those with a family history or genetic predisposition for breast cancer).

The national five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer is 98 percent. In 2000-2004, 62 percent of breast cancer in Wisconsin was detected early.