The decrease in breast-cancer incidence in 2003 in the United States.
An initial analysis of data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries shows that the age-adjusted incidence rate of breast cancer in women in the United States fell sharply (by 6.7%) in 2003, as compared with the rate in 2002. Data from 2004 showed a leveling off relative to the 2003 rate, with little additional decrease. Regression analysis showed that the decrease began in mid-2002 and had begun to level off by mid-2003. A comparison of incidence rates in 2001 with those in 2004 (omitting the years in which the incidence was changing) showed that the decrease in annual age-adjusted incidence was 8.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.8 to 10.4). The decrease was evident only in women who were 50 years of age or older and was more evident in cancers that were estrogen-receptor-positive than in those that were estrogen-receptor-negative. The decrease in breast-cancer incidence seems to be temporally related to the first report of the Women's Health Initiative and the ensuing drop in the use of hormone-replacement therapy among postmenopausal women in the United States. The contributions of other causes to the change in incidence seem less likely to have played a major role but have not been excluded.
Ravdin
Peter M
PM
Department of Biostatistics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
Cronin
Kathleen A
KA
Howlader
Nadia
N
Berg
Christine D
CD
Chlebowski
Rowan T
RT
Feuer
Eric J
EJ
Edwards
Brenda K
BK
Berry
Donald A
DA
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018426:SEER Program; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen