Recent trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality in Europe and North America

The incidence rates of breast cancer in North America and Europe continue to rise. In Germany 51,000 new cases are estimated per year. Since the 1990s the number of women dying from breast cancer has declined. This positive trend is due to improvements in breast cancer therapy, i.e., adjuvant hormone and chemotherapy and the introduction of mammography screening programs. A future challenge in the fight against breast cancer will be the introduction of preventive measures such as antihormone therapy to lower the incidence rates. The reliable identification of women at high risk for breast cancer will be a crucial requirement for such preventive strategies.