Lowcountry Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure : Charleston, South Carolina

FACT SHEET

2007 U.S. Breast Cancer Facts

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.
An estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2007.
In addition to invasive breast cancer, 62,030 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur among women during 2007. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) accounted for 85 percent of these in situ breast cancers.
An estimated 2,030 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2007.
Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.
An estimated 40,460 women will die from breast cancer in 2007.
An estimated 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2007.
Breast cancer death rate has been dropping about 2 percent annually since 1990 to 2002 in all women combined, with larger decreases in younger (<50 years) women, a decline attributed to earlier detection through screening, increased awareness, and improved treatment.

Where We've Been		Where We Are Now
1982	Susan G. Komen for the Cure holds its first fund-raising event, a women's polo tournament and lawn party, and awards its first grants totaling $30,000 to M.D. Anderson in Houston and Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.	2007	Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, Komen for the Cure has invested nearly $1 billion for the fight against breast cancer. More than 80 cents of every dollar spent by Komen supports mission programs and services.
1983	The first Komen Race for the Cure® is held in Dallas, with 800 participants.	2007	The Komen Race for the Cure® Series, the world's largest and most successful education and fund-raising event for breast cancer, now includes more than 100 Races in the U.S. and two international countries. This year, more than 1.3 million people are expected to participate in KomenÕs signature awareness and fundraising event.
1989	Komen expands its grassroots approach by adding its first "chapter" outside of the Dallas area in San Francisco. Chapters are renamed Affiliates six years later.	2007	Komen has more than 75,000 activists and survivors working through a network of more than 100 U.S. and international Affiliates, making it the largest grassroots organization in breast cancer today.
1989	1.800 I'M AWARE®, Komen's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline, is established to provide callers response to questions, local resources and moral support.	2007	The 1.877 GO KOMEN® Helpline is answered by trained, caring activists and survivors whose lives have been personally touched by breast cancer. Patients and their loved ones receive information on a wide range of breast health and breast cancer issues in both English and Spanish.