This year in the United States an estimated 180,000 women will learn they have breast cancer. Three-fourths of the cases of breast cancer occur in women ages 50 or older, but it affects younger women, too (and about 1,400 men a year).

More women are getting breast cancer, but no one yet knows all the reasons why. Some of the increase can be traced to better ways of recognizing cancer and detecting cancers in an early stage. The increase also may be the result of changes in the way we live-- postponing childbirth, taking replacement hormones and oral contraceptives, eating high-fat foods, or drinking more alcohol.

The encouraging news is that, more and more, breast cancer is being detected early, while the tumor is limited to the breast and very small. Currently, two-thirds of newly diagnosed breast cancers show no signs that the cancer has spread beyond the breast.

With prompt and appropriate treatment, the outlook for women with breast cancer is good. Moreover, a majority of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer are candidates for treatment that saves the breast.