As we begin Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to revisit some basic information and some of the latest news related to breast cancer and breast cancer treatment. According to the National Cancer Institute1, when all subtypes are combined, female breast cancer is fairly common. In 2022, it is estimated that there will be 287,850 new cases of female breast cancer.
Breast cancer is most often found in women, but men can get breast cancer too. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man2.
Similarly, most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States (some kinds of skin cancer are the most common). Black women die from breast cancer at a higher rate than White women.3
The breast cancer subtype HR+/HER2- is the most common subtype with an age-adjusted rate of 87.4 new cases per 100,000 women, based on 2015–2019 cases. However, the 5-year survival rate for HR+/HER2- breast cancer is 94.4%. Even more promising is news from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that they have approved a new targeted therapy for HER2- breast cancer. The drug is an IV infusion for the treatment of patients with unresectable (unable to be removed) or metastatic (spread to other parts of the body) HER2-low breast cancer.
In terms of prevention and early detection, the BRCA gene test is a blood test that uses DNA analysis to identify harmful changes (mutations) in either one of the two breast cancer susceptibility genes — BRCA1 and BRCA2. People who inherit mutations in these genes are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer compared with the general population4.
The BRCA gene test is a blood test that's done to determine if you have changes (mutations) in your DNA that increase the risk of breast cancer. Mutations in either breast cancer gene — BRCA1 or BRCA2 — significantly increase the risk of:
Breast cancer
Male breast cancer
Ovarian cancer
Prostate cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Melanoma
The National Breast Cancer Foundation recommends daily physical activity, a healthy diet and regular mammograms for women 40 or older for prevention and early detection. Younger women with risk factors for breast cancer should consult with their healthcare professional whether a mammogram is advisable.
Please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation website at http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org for more information.
Meghan S. Farally is a partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office.
2https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/men/index.htm
3https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm
4https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/brca-gene-test/about/pac-203...