A study using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute published in Cancer estimated as many as 600,000 breast cancer deaths were avoided since 1989 in women aged 40 to 84 years thanks screening and treatment advances.
The authors report that from 1975 to 1990, female breast cancer mortality rates in the United States increased by 0.4% per year. Since 1990, breast cancer mortality rates have fallen between 1.8% and 3.4% per year, a decrease that is attributed to increased mammography screening and improvements in treatment.
The authors concluded that since 1989, between 384,000 and 614,500 breast cancer deaths have been averted because of widespread use of screening mammography and advances in the treatment of breast cancer.
