Breast Cancer - Moose and Doc

A breast cancer explanations website

 

May 6, 2019 By Dr. Halls

Breast Cancer Survival Rates for all types of breast cancers

Breast cancer survival rates and prognosis are determined by so many different factors that it is always difficult to make generalizations.  

NOTE: this page has been recently updated with the most up-to-date statistics. Prognosis has improved so much because breast cancer treatments have become more effective since this page was first created. Remember that survival is better than listed here. Most importantly, ask your oncologist and specialist team, who keep current with the latest statistics and best treatments.

Why Breast Cancer Survival Rates are going to be higher than the most up-to-date Statistics

It is important to remember that the breast cancer survival rates that are listed on this page are, in reality, going to be higher.

This is because the breast cancer survival rates data is gathered from a large number of people with the disease over a 5 year period. Hence, even the most up-to-date statistics are still going to be a little out of date.

Thus, with the ongoing improvements and advancements in breast cancer screening, research, early detection and advanced tailored treatment, the outcomes at present will be even better than the statistics listed here.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Breast cancer: Remember don’t count the days but make the days count!


 
 

Predictors for Breast Cancer Survival Rates

It has to be remembered that every single breast cancer patient has itsown, unique scenario. Thus, prognosis and breast cancer survival rates are a rough guide ONLY.

breast cancer survival rates

However, there are consistent predictors for breast cancer survival rates and these include:-

  • The stage of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis
  • The Grade of the breast cancer
  • A patient’s age at diagnosis
  • The hormone receptor status
  • Oncogene Expression (genes that can cause cancer)
  • Cell type of the tumor
  • Race and ethnicity
Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Wow! That is a scary picture of a breast cancer, Doc.

Gretchen Gretchen
Yes, Doc. Why is that there?

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
I can’t remember. That picture must be so old. I think it was one of the first cancers I found when I started doing breast MRI’s way back in 1993.


 
 

Breast Cancer Survival Rates according to the Stage of the cancer

Breast cancer ‘stage’ of course refers to the spread and size of cancer at diagnosis. Stage zero means the breast cancer is still ‘in situ‘ or contained. Whereas, stage IV means that the cancer has metastasised (or spread) to other body regions. The stage of cancer at diagnosis affects prognosis.

The statistics below are taken from the from the SEER database (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program) of the National Cancer Institute between the years 1975 to 2010. (Published in 2012)

The 5 year survival rate means that within 5 years around 93 people out of 100, diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer, will still be alive.

5 Year Survival Rate by Stage

Stage of breast cancer5 year survival rate
Stage 0100%
Stage I100%
Stage IIAround 93%
Stage IIIAround 72%
Stage IV22%
Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
Between the years of 2006 to 2012 the overall 5 year survival rate for ALL breast cancer patients is 89.7% according to the SEER database

Jessica Jessica
That is all types of breast cancer, stages and includes all the factors on diagnosis.

Holly Holly
Wow! That is really encouraging.


 
 

Age at the time of diagnosis affects breast cancer survival rates

It has always been known that curiously, young women (under 40 at diagnosis) have a poorer prognosis than older ones

Indeed, one cohort study examined 4,453 women with breast cancer between 1961 and 1991 who were all treated at the same center.

This study found that both ends of the age spectrum fared less well. So, women under the age of 40 years at diagnosis and those over 80 years had a statistically poorer prognosis.

However, for younger women, this may be due to the fact that they often present with higher-grade tumors that tend to be more aggressive and less likely to be hormone receptor-positive. This means that breast cancer may not respond as well to treatment.

So, it is important to bear in mind other factors discussed in this post, such as stage, grade and hormone receptor status play an important role in prognosis.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
According to the graph above breast cancer after age 45 has about an 85% survival rate.

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
Yes, but bear in mind it’s probably higher than that as this data is quite old now.


 
 

Breast cancer survival rates are affected by tumor grade

Breast cancer ‘grade‘ refers to the size and shape of the malignant breast cancer cells. If the breast cancer cells look very different than normal breast tissue cells, and somewhat random in appearance, they are called ‘poorly differentiated’ and described as ‘high grade’.

There are three main breast cancer grades and these are as follows:-

  • Grade 1: The cancer cells are well differentiated and look the most like normal cells. These type of cancers tend to be slow-growing.
  • Grade 2: These cancer cells are moderately differentiated. This means that the cells look less like normal cells and tend to grow faster.
  • Grade 3: Poorly differentiated cells do not appear like normal cells at all and tend to be very fast growing. Hence, the affect on prognosis.

Microscopic Images of Ductal cell carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)
Grades 1, 2 and 3

breast cancer survival rates

Higher grade breast cancers tend to have a poorer prognosis.

You will be able to find the Grade of your tumor on your pathology report.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Have you not got any facts or figures, graphs or pie charts for the grade of breast cancer, Doc?

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
No, there is very little up-to-date information. However, the grade of breast cancer is only ONE factor in survival, together with the stage, tumor size and lymph node involvement.


 
 

Hormone receptor status influences breast cancer survival rates

The hormone receptor status of a breast tumour is not usually included in formal discussions of prognosis.

Each breast tumour will potentially have a different hormone receptor status. When a breast cancer tumour tests ‘positive’ for the hormones estrogen and progesterone, it implies two things:-

  1. Is the bad news: Cancer has the potential to grow very quickly because it responds to the fluctuating hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
  2. Is the Good news: The tumor will very likely be highly responsive to chemotherapy and hormonal therapy treatments.

Therefore, due to improvements in treatments, overall survival rates will be higher for hormone receptor ‘positive’ breast tumors than for those that are hormone negative.

Gretchen Gretchen
Oh No! Don’t tell me that hormones affect the breast tumor as well as everything else.

Jessica Jessica
Yes, hormones are very powerful things – we are powerless in their wake.


 
 

Oncogene expression (HER-2) may negatively affect breast cancer outcome

A relatively new addition to the discussion of breast cancer survival statistics and prognosis is oncogene expression.

HER-2 positive breast carcinoma cells

An oncogene is a tiny fragment of genetic material which is carried in a chromosome and can ’cause’ normal cells to become malignant.

The oncogene HER-2, in particular, has been linked to more aggressive breast cancers.

Around one-third of all breast tumours produce the HER-2 oncogene, and these patients tend to have higher rates of recurrence and lower overall breast cancer survival rates.

According to a 2013 Canadian scientific study, the overall 5-year survival rate of HER-2 positive breast cancer is 88.6%. Furthermore, the relapse-free survival rate for 5 years is 79.4%.

Hector Hector
There are quite a lot of statistics here.

Holly Holly
Yes, but to everybody reading this, remember that facts are stubborn whilst statistics are pliable.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
That’s right! Never let statistics interfere with your dreams.


 
 

Breast Cancer ‘type'(or sub-type) is determined by cell shape and appearance

Breast cancers or ‘carcinomas’ are mainly of epithelial cell origin.

Epithelial cells are the ‘lining’ (or walls) of most of our organs and vessels.

However, there are quite a few very rare types of breast cancers which are comprised of non-epithelial cells (for example, muscle cells). Furthermore, a great many breast cancers are actually not ‘pure’, but rather a mixture of different types of cells.

In general, there are six types of ‘standard’ breast carcinomas, and statistically, some of these tend to show a better prognosis than others.

The six most common types of breast cancer are as follows:-

  1. ‘General’ infiltrating ductal carcinoma (NOS or not otherwise specified)
  2. Infiltrating lobular carcinoma (forming in the lobules of the breast and not the ducts)
  3. Mucinous or colloid breast carcinoma
  4. Medullary breast carcinoma
  5. Tubular breast carcinoma
  6. Inflammatory breast carcinoma
Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Come on Doc! Show us a table.

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
Okay Moose. There is a table coming up below with some statistics on breast cancer.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Oh … I was thinking more of a table with donuts and cakes on …


 
 

Certain breast cancer subtypes have a better statistical prognosis

In general, tubular, mucinous and medullary breast carcinomas have a better prognosis than the other sub-types.

The table below gives a very general approximation of the survival rates that may be associated with the different breast cancer subtypes.

However, please bear in mind that these figures are a rough generalization only and survival will always be determined by the individual characteristics of each breast cancer and each patient.

Nonetheless, the ‘relative’ aggressiveness of the different breast cancer subtypes can be interpreted from the table.

(Note: DCIS is not really a sub-type; it simply indicates that breast cancer has been detected at the earliest possible stage (stage 0) and is almost always near 100% curable.)

breast cancer sub-typeEstimated Overall Survival
DCIS-ductal carcinoma in situ)98.8% to 100%
Tubular breast carcinomaalmost 100% (15 year survival)
Infiltrating lobular carcinoma90% (5 year survival)
Infiltrating ductal carcinoma88% (5 year survival)
Medullary breast carcinoma91% (10 year survival)
Mucinous breast carcinoma90% (10 year survival)
Inflammatory breast carcinoma65% (5 year survival) 35% (10 year survival (2009 figures)
Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
These figures are the most current that I can find from medical research.  Remember, however that these figures are still old and treatment and prognosis are improving all the time.


 
 

Tubular Breast Carcinoma

breast cancer survival rates

Tubular breast carcinoma is so named because the affected cells have a distinct tubular formation when examined through the microscope.

In general, tubular breast carcinoma is very rare and accounts for only around 1 to 4% of all invasive cancers.  Tubular breast cancer usually affects women above the age of 50 years.

A recent small medical study has shown a very favourable prognosis for this type of cancer, especially if it is of the ‘pure’ tubular type.  Medical studies show a 15-year survival rate of almost 100%.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
Do not look at these figures EVER as a death sentence. Cancer can be seen as a life sentence in that it pushes you to truly LIVE.


 
 

Infiltrating/invasive lobular breast carcinoma

Infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC) usually appears as a subtle thickening in the upper-outer breast quadrant.

As the name suggests, these tumours originate mostly in the breast lobules (the glands that produce milk) rather than the lining of the breast ducts.

breast cancer survival rates

Invasive lobular cancer is a less common type of breast cancer than invasive ductal cancer. This cancer accounts for about 10% of all invasive breast cancer cases.

Prognosis for infiltrating and invasive lobular breast carcinomas will naturally be influenced by tumor size, grade, stage and hormone receptor status..

However, lobular breast cancers, when positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors, tend to respond very well to hormone therapy.

The overall breast cancer survival rates for infiltrating lobular carcinoma, when matched by stage, are a little higher than for ductal carcinoma for the first 5 years.

Survival rates range from about 77% to 93%, but on average, the 5-year survival rate was estimated at about 90%.

Talking Moose
Talking Moose
How old are these figures, Doc?

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
The general range of survival 77% to 93% is over 10 years old so expect higher now. The average survival rate of 90% was as of 2010, so still quite old.


 
 

Infiltrating/Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC)

Infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the generic type (NOS) is by far the most common breast cancer type, and represents about 78% of all cases.

The term ‘infiltrating’ vs. ‘invasive’ is somewhat related to the cancer stage; if the ductal carcinoma is infiltrating the duct wall, then it will usually be termed ‘infiltrating’. However, if the cancer cells are found beyond the duct wall and are starting to ‘invade’ the surrounding tissue, then it will be termed ‘invasive’ ductal carcinoma.

Obviously, an invasive ductal carcinoma suggests a more serious situation and the survival rates will most likely be slightly lower. On mammogram, infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas often can appear star-shaped or ‘stellate’.

invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast no special type

The 5 year survival rate for invasive ductal carcinoma was estimated at around 88% (1993 to 2003). However, a more recent Korean study carried out between 1994 and 2010 puts the overall 5-year survival rate at 94.9%

Tumor size is a really important prognostic factor and can really make a difference. Breast tumors larger than 5cms had a 50 to 60% survival rate over 20 years. Compare this with those who had a tumor of less than 1cm who have a 93 to 98% overall survival rate at 20 years.

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
We can see from the above data how each individual case will depend on a whole host of factors. So, even though survival rates continue to increase, each person has individual factors that all play a part.


 
 

Medullary Breast Carcinoma

Medullary carcinoma of the breast is another rare type and accounts for around 1 to 7% of all invasive breast cancers.

The cancer is so-named because the malignant cells resemble the ‘grey matter’ in the medulla of the brain.

breast cancer survival rates

This type of breast cancer has a favourable prognosis despite the fact that these tumors are often large, high grade and hormone receptor-negative.

Medullary cancer tends to affect women at a younger age than average, mid 40’s to early 50’s.

A medical study found that the overall survival rate after 10 years for medullary breast cancer was around 91%. However, as for all these subtypes, the size, grade, stage and hormone receptor status and general health of the patient all play an important role in prognosis.

It should be noted that for stage I medullary breast cancers, and even in general when the axillary lymph nodes are disease free, the survival rate can be as high as 95%.

Jessica Jessica
Don’t forget ladies, 80% of breast lumps are benign.

Gretchen Gretchen
Yes, but we can see from these figures that early detection is key. So make sure YOU attend screening programs.


 
 

Mucinous Breast Carcinoma (Colloid)

Mucinous breast carcinoma is  characterized by poorly defined cells and a lot of mucus production.

This type of cancer is very rare, and as mentioned, many cancers will have a mixed cell type.  However,  ‘pure’ mucinous cancer accounts for only around 2% of all primary breast cancers.

The prognosis is highly favorable in most cases because mucinous breast cancer rarely spreads to the lymph nodes.  A recent medical study estimates the overall survival rate at around 90%.

Hector Hector
Inflammatory breast cancer. Why is that such a tricky one, Doc?

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
Good question. Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as a breast infection because the symptoms are very similar.

Gretchen Gretchen
So what happens then?

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
The patient gets treated with antibiotics. But because this is an aggressive breast cancer time is of the essence. There is good news below though …


 
 

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is very rare and accounts for only 1 to 5 % of all invasive breast cancers in the United States.

This type of breast cancer is usually very aggressive and progresses quickly. Most inflammatory breast cancers are already at stage III or IV at diagnosis.

breast cancer survival rates

Like medullary breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer is often diagnosed in younger women and is usually negative to estrogen and progesterone receptors but often HER-2 positive.

Traditionally, inflammatory breast cancer had a poor prognosis. Indeed, an earlier version of this post had cited a 3 year survival rate at just 32% to 42%.

Several research studies between the years of 2004 and 2009 estimated a 5-year survival rate of 65% and a 10-year survival rate of 35%.

However, a 2015 medical study compared survival trends of women with inflammatory breast cancer before and after the year 2006.

The good news is that the 3-year survival rate for those treated before October 2006 was around 63%, but for cases after 2006 the 3-year survival rate has risen to 82%.

The above statistics are indeed a testimony to the improvement in targeted treatment, in this case, particularly HER-2 therapy.

Dr. Halls Dr. Halls
Remember, that all these figures are still relatively out of date. Overall survival will have improved even more than our figures suggest due, in part to amazing new targeted treatments


 
 

Further Reading

  • Index of ALL our Posts on Breast Cancer Incidence and Survival Rates
  • Index of ALL our Posts on Types of Breast Cancer
  • Breast Cancer Treatment by Stage

Return to Homepage

References:

  • Altekruse SF, Kosary CL, Krapcho M, et al, SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2007. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2010 (Retrieved 02 April 2017) https://seer.cancer.gov/archive/csr/1975_2007/
  • Narod SA, Iqbal J, Miller AB. (2015) Why have breast cancer mortality rates declined? Journal of Cancer Policy: Sept 2015: Vol:5 8-17: (Retrieved 02 April 2017) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213538315000065

More references for this section are on this page.

About Steven Halls

Dr Halls has 25 years experience as a radiologist. He worked for 13 years at Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, a world-class cancer treatment facility. He has had high-volume experience with cancer, interventional procedures, clinical trials and his own phase 1 and 2 research in MRI and breast cancer staging.

 

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