Key Facts

• A study of Medicare beneficiaries found first-year oral prescription drug costs averaged about $700 for localized breast cancer and about $25,000 after cancer spread.
• The same study found other cancer-related medical spending averaged about $34,000 for localized disease and more than $73,000 after it spread.
• The American Cancer Society attributes a 44 percent drop in the breast cancer death rate since its 1989 peak to earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
• The article reports five-year breast cancer survival rates of about 90 percent in the United States, 88 percent in Canada, 87 percent in France, and 86 percent in the United Kingdom.
• Breast cancer diagnoses have risen about 1 percent per year overall and 1.4 percent per year among women under 50, according to the article.
• In 2023, 79.8 percent of U.S. women aged 50 to 74 reported having a mammogram in the previous two years; the article says the rate has changed little since 2019.
• About 10 percent of women screened in the United States are called back for further evaluation, which may involve more imaging or a biopsy.
• The article says some facilities do not accept patients who book mammograms without a physician referral, and it describes delays from scheduling, referrals, and insurer authorization for advanced imaging.