Breast Cancer Treatment

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In 2015, 64.2% of women diagnosed with node positive breast cancer, received multi-agent chemotherapy.

Summary graph for Breast Cancer Treatment, Click to see detailed view of graph

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Background

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States (other than skin cancer). Women with breast cancer have many treatment options, including surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. Treatment options for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer may include more than one type of treatment (ex. Surgery and radiation) or more than one agent (multi-agent chemotherapy).

The proportion of women with node-positive disease (cancer in the lymph nodes near the tumor) receiving guideline-concordant treatment is high. Clinical trials have demonstrated that women with early stage breast cancer who receive breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with radiation therapy have a survival rate similar to those of women who undergo a mastectomy. Among women for whom chemotherapy is indicated, older women are less likely to receive chemotherapy than younger women, but there are no major differences in treatment among major racial and ethnic groups.

Breast cancer also develops in men, but it is rare and is not included in the data presented on this page.

Measure

Percentage of women aged 20 and older, diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (stage I or II), receiving breast-conserving surgery and radiation treatment.

Percentage of women aged 20 and older, diagnosed with node-positive, stage I–IIIA breast cancer, receiving multi-agent chemotherapy.

Note: This measure includes women with both hormone receptor positive and negative breast cancer.

Healthy People 2030 Target

  • There are no Healthy People 2030 targets for cancer treatment, including breast cancer treatment and multi-agent chemotherapy.

Healthy People 2030 is a set of goals set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Data Source

Breast-conserving surgery and radiation treatment estimates: SEER 17 Registries, National Cancer Institute, 2004–2019.

Multi-agent chemotherapy estimates: SEER Patterns of Care/Quality of Care Studies, National Cancer Institute, 1987-2015.

Trends and Most Recent EstimatesHelp with navigating the graphs and data tables

Treatment Distribution

Treatment distribution for invasive stage I or II female breast cancer patients aged 20 years and older, 2004-2019
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2019)
Percent of patients 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Treatment distribution for invasive stage I or II female breast cancer patients aged 20 years and older, 2004-2019 MastectomyClick to see the detailed trend graph for Mastectomy 31.0 30.8 - 31.2
BCS with radiationClick to see the detailed trend graph for BCS with radiation 51.9 51.7 - 52.1
BCS without radiationClick to see the detailed trend graph for BCS without radiation 17.1 17.0 - 17.2

Chemotherapy

Percentage of node positive female breast cancer patients receiving multiagent chemotherapy treatment by age at diagnosis, 1987-2015
Overview Graph Detailed Trend Graphs Most Recent Estimates (2015)
Percent of patients 95% Confidence Interval
Thumbnail of graph for Percentage of node positive female breast cancer patients receiving multiagent chemotherapy treatment by age at diagnosis, 1987-2015 Ages 20+Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 20+ 64.2 57.6 - 70.2
Ages 20-64Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 20-64 82.4 74.6 - 88.2
Ages 65+Click to see the detailed trend graph for Ages 65+ 40.7 29.9 - 52.5

Additional Information on Breast Cancer Treatment

Year Range

1987-2015

Recent Summary Trend Year Range

2010-2015

Summary Tables

Bladder, Breast, Colorectal

Recent Summary Trend

Stable

Desired Direction

Rising