The Who, What, Where, When and Sometimes, Why.

Age

Age is an established risk factor for breast cancer.

Learn about other factors linked to the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer in women

The older a woman is, the more likely she is to get breast cancer.

Rates of breast cancer are low in women under 40. About 4% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. are younger than 40 [6].

Rates begin to increase after age 40 and are highest in women over age 70 (see Figure 2.1 below).

Age at diagnosis

From 2016 to 2020 (most recent data available), the median age of diagnosis of breast cancer for women in the U.S. was 63 [653]. The median is the middle value of a group of numbers, so about half of women with breast cancer are diagnosed before age 63 and about half are diagnosed after age 63.

The median age of breast cancer diagnosis varies by race and ethnicity.

For example, Black women tend to be diagnosed at a younger age than white women [653]. From 2016 to 2020 (most recent data available), the median age at diagnosis for Black women was 60, compared to 64 for white women [653].

Learn more about race, ethnicity and breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer in men

The older a man is, the more likely he is to get breast cancer.

However, breast cancer is much less common in men than in women (see Figure 2.1 below).

Age at diagnosis

From 2016 to 2020 (most recent data available), the median age of diagnosis of breast cancer for men in the U.S. was 68 [654]. The median is the middle value of a group of numbers, so about half of men with breast cancer are diagnosed before age 68 and about half are diagnosed after age 68.

The median age of breast cancer diagnosis varies by race and ethnicity.

For example, Black men tend to be diagnosed at a younger age than white men [654]. From 2016 to 2020 (most recent data available), the median age at diagnosis for Black men was 65, compared to 69 for white men [654].

Learn more about breast cancer in men.

Learn more about race, ethnicity and breast cancer risk.

Why is age related to breast cancer risk?

The older we are, the more likely abnormal changes will occur in our cells. When many of these changes occur, cancer can develop.  

Figure 2.1 

 Figure 2.1

Data source: SEER 2016-2020 [9]

Note: Although this graph shows a rate of 0 in some age groups, there are a few cases of breast cancer in these age groups. However, the numbers are too small to appear on the scale used here.

Learn about other factors linked to the risk of breast cancer.

Updated 01/23/24

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