Recent headlines build on our growing and nuanced knowledge about breast cancer, which remains the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women after skin cancer. Here’s a look:

 

  • While overall rates of breast cancer inched up 1% a year during 2012 to 2021, survivorship also improved thanks to early detection and treatment advances, found an American Cancer Society (ACS) report. Yet alarming disparities persist, especially for Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women as well as for Black and Native American women. Of note: Diagnoses in AAPI women younger than 50 jumped by 50% since 2000. 
  • Women who use certain hormone-releasing intrauterine devices (IUDs) may have an increased risk for breast cancer, according to a study involving Danish women published in JAMA. Specifically, women in the study used levonorgestrel IUDs, but researchers noted that the overall risk remains low and is not a cause for alarm.
  • U.S. women have, on average, a 13% chance of developing breast cancer, but, according to ACS, those with dense breast tissue have a 15% to 20% higher risk of the cancer and of receiving a false-negative mammogram, though the screening is still recommended. (About 40% of women have dense breasts.) A new federal rule calls for health care providers to inform women of their breast density and of their potential supplemental screening options.