• What is Breast Cancer?



• Key Statistics



• Risk Factors



• Risk Reduction



• Survival Rates

When breast cancer is detected before it has spread to lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is 97%.

If the cancer has spread to the underarm lymph nodes, the five-year survival rate is 76%. If the cancer has spread to other body organs, such as the lung or brain, the five-year survival rate drops to 20%.

The extent a cancer has spread from the primary site at the time of diagnosis and initial treatment has a significant impact on survival rates. The process used to measure and rank the extent of spread is called staging, with Roman numeral rankings from 0 (least advanced) to IV (most advanced). Outlined below is the 5-year survival rate according to stage. Although many breast cancer patients live longer than five years after diagnosis, this standard measurement is used as a means of comparison.

The following are overall long-term survival rates for breast cancer patients, regardless of time of diagnosis and initial treatments*:

This website provides general information only. A physician should be contacted if you need any medical advice or if medical decisions need to be made.