Breast Cancer: Understanding Your Risk

When it comes to chronic disease, concern about breast cancer ranks at the top for many women. The widely publicized estimate that one in eight women will develop the disease is certainly alarming. What hasn't been made clear, however, is that the 1-in-8 figure refers to a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by the time she reaches age 90. The chance of developing the disease at a younger age is actually much lower.

Another point of confusion surrounding the 1-in-8 number is that it refers to the risk of developing breast cancer. The risk of dying from the disease is much lower, about one in 28, by the time a woman reaches 90.