2008-09 Grant Recipients

Breast Cancer News

A Generation of Survivors

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has played a critical role in every major advance in the fight against breast cancer over the past 25 years – transforming how the world talks about and treats this disease and helping to turn millions of breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors. 

Among the victories since we started:

• More early detection – nearly 75 percent of women over 40 years old now receive regular mammograms, the single most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early (in 1982, less than 30 percent received a clinical exam). 

• More hope – the five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98 percent (compared to 74 percent in 1982). 

• More research – the federal government now devotes more than $[900] million each year to breast cancer research, treatment and prevention (compared to $[30] million in 1982).

• More survivors – America’s 2.3 million breast cancers survivors, now the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S., are a living testament to the power of society and science to save lives.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Saving Lives for 25 Years