(1) Breast-cancer incidence rises from 68,000 to 184,300 between 1970 and 1996. Factor of Rise = 184,300 / 68,000 = 2.71. Rise = 171 %.Breast Cancer Breast Cancer I / M Year Mortality Incidence Values 1960 23,755 NA NA 1965 NA 62,000 NA 1967 26,900 64,000 2.379 1968 28,350 65,000 2.293 1970 30,100 68,000 2.259 1971 30,500 69,000 2.262 1972 32,000 70,000 2.188 1973 32,400 73,000 2.253 1974 32,500 89,000 2.738 1975 32,600 88,000 2.699 1977 33,700 89,000 2.641 1978 33,800 90,000 2.663 1979 34,200 106,000 3.099 1980 35,500 108,000 3.042 1981 36,800 110,000 2.989 1982 37,000 112,000 3.027 1983 37,200 114,000 3.065 1984 37,300 115,000 3.083 1985 38,400 119,000 3.099 1986 39,900 123,000 3.083 1987 41,000 130,000 3.171 1988 42,000 135,000 3.214 1989 43,000 142,000 3.302 1990 44,000 150,000 3.409 1991 44,500 175,000 3.933 1992 46,000 180,000 3.913 1993 46,000 182,000 3.957 1994 46,000 182,000 3.957 1995 46,000 182,000 3.957 1996 44,300 184,300 4.160(2) Female Population Rise from 1970 to 1995 = 134,461 / 104,309 = 1.29. Rise = 29 %. (Table 2)
(3) There is no way that female population increase alone can account for the enormous rise in breast-cancer incidence.
(4) During the same period (1970-1996), the number of breast-cancer deaths rose to 44,300 from 30,100. Factor of Rise = 1.47. Rise = 47%.
(5) Meanwhile, the fraction of all U.S. women over age 60 keeps increasing (longer lifespan), which means more women are in the ages of high breast-cancer mortality. Thus the raw number of breast-cancer deaths per 100,000 women (all ages combined) has risen, while the AGE-ADJUSTED number of breast-cancer deaths per 100,000 females has remained almost constant.
* Source: American Cancer Society, annual January-February issues of CA - A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Exception: The 1960 figure came from ACS 1994, p.5.