Breast cancer is not just a women’s issue; it’s a national crisis that touches every family, every community, and every congressional district in America.
Paula Schneider
Honorary Vice Chair, Susan G. Komen
This year, more than 319,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and nearly 43,000 will die. Every two minutes, a woman is told she has breast cancer. Every 12 minutes, one loses her life. Far too many of those deaths could be prevented.
Despite decades of medical progress, troubling trends demand our attention. Rates of breast cancer are rising among women under 50, even as screening guidelines typically don’t begin until age 40. Younger patients are more likely to face late-stage diagnoses, aggressive treatment, and devastating financial strain. The burden is even greater for women of color and those in under-resourced communities. Black women, for example, remain 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.
Yet even today, after everything we’ve learned, about 50% of women aren’t getting their yearly mammograms. Too many delay screening because of fear, cost, or simply not knowing their risk. With sweeping policy changes threatening to cut off access to lifesaving care for millions, these gaps will only widen. The result? More late diagnoses, preventable deaths, and setbacks that could erase decades of progress.
The path forward
We cannot allow that to happen. We know what saves lives: timely, high-quality screening and care for every woman, regardless of age, race, or income. We know that patient navigation — connecting people with guidance, resources, and support — improves survival and quality of life. We know that groundbreaking research has already proven that many women can safely avoid chemotherapy, sparing them harsh side effects while living longer, healthier lives.
But we also know, for women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) — when the disease has spread beyond the breast — there is still no cure. The majority of those 43,000 breast cancer deaths are caused by MBC. We desperately need continued, focused research to turn MBC from a terminal diagnosis into a treatable condition.
The path forward is clear: protect and expand access to care, invest in research that answers why breast cancer is rising in younger women, and ensure that every woman has the chance to catch this disease early, when survival is most likely.
Breast cancer moves fast, but together, we can move faster. Lives depend on it.
