Global breast cancer mortality statistics

Breast cancer mortality is declining in the United Stares, as well as in ce rtain other industrialized areas-such as Canada, Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom-possibly due to increased utilization of mammographic screen ing, early detection of disease, and availability of improved therapies. At least some of the decline has been attributed, however, to the higher fert ility rates of the cohort of women born between 1924 and 1938 who bore chil dren during the post-World War II period. In contrast, certain European nations-Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Pol and, and Italy-have not reported these favorable trends. The lowest breast cancer mortality rates are reported in Asian regions, len ding researchers to speculate that dietary, cultural, and/or environmental factors might be implicated in the etiology of the disease.