Breast cancer: everything you need to know

In France, one in eight women will have breast cancer at some point. There is hope, however: treatment options are improving, and recovery rates are very high. Screening, diagnosis, treatment, and returning to work: this file contains all the information you need to know about breast cancer.

Over 50,000 new cases breast cancer each year

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second most common of all cancers, after prostate cancer in men.

• In 2015, some 54,000 new cases of breast cancer were detected in France.
• Between 1980 and 2005, the number of breast cancer cases increased by 138%. This sharp rise can be explained by the increase in life span and by improved screening, but also, according to many experts, by the rise in environmental and behavioral risk factors.
• The number of breast cancer cases worldwide is also rising. Some 1.7 million cases were diagnosed in 2012, showing an increase of over 20% since the last estimates in 2008. And in 2012, 6.3 million women were living with breast cancer diagnosed during the previous five years.
• The prognosis for breast cancer is good: 86% of individuals are alive five years after diagnosis and 76% 10 years later (Inca 2015 figures).
• In France the average age at diagnosis is 63 years old. However, although it is a lot more common after menopause, breast cancer also occurs in young women.
• Breast cancer clearly affects mainly women. Nevertheless, 1% of breast cancer cases in France are among men.