Each year, new data helps us better understand the state of breast cancer: where progress is being made, and where more work is urgently needed.
According to the American Cancer Society 2026 Cancer Facts & Figures report, more than 320,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year, along with thousands of additional cases of non-invasive disease.
Behind each of these numbers is a person. A family. A future that is suddenly filled with questions. And while there is meaningful progress to recognize, there is also a growing urgency to address what comes next.
Progress Worth Celebrating
Over the past several decades, breast cancer outcomes have improved significantly.
Since 1989, the breast cancer death rate has declined by 44%, a milestone driven by earlier detection through screening and continued advances in treatment. These gains have translated into hundreds of thousands of lives saved.
Today, many breast cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when they are most treatable. Survival rates continue to improve, and new therapies—including targeted treatments and immunotherapies—are expanding options for patients. This progress is real. And it is the direct result of sustained investment in research, innovation, and access to care.
A Changing Landscape
Even as outcomes improve, breast cancer is evolving in ways that demand attention.
Incidence rates have been rising steadily since the mid-2000s, and the increase is even more pronounced among women under 50. Younger women are being diagnosed more frequently, often facing more aggressive forms of the disease and navigating treatment at earlier stages of life.
At the same time, breast cancer remains a complex disease influenced by a wide range of factors—from genetics and family history to lifestyle, reproductive patterns, and environmental exposures. Understanding these shifts is critical. Because as the disease changes, so too must the strategies used to detect, treat, and ultimately prevent it.
Persistent Disparities in Care
One of the most urgent challenges highlighted in this year’s report is the persistence of racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
Black women are 37% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, despite having a lower incidence rate. They are also more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and with more aggressive subtypes of the disease.
These disparities are not driven by biology alone. They reflect differences in access to early detection, timely and high-quality treatment, and clinical trials that can offer the most advanced therapies available. For too many patients, their demographics and socioeconomic status can influence the care they receive, and ultimately, their outcomes. Closing these gaps is essential to accelerating progress for everyone.
The Critical Role of Research and Access
Advancing breast cancer care requires more than new discoveries. It requires ensuring those discoveries reach the patients who need them most. Clinical trials play a vital role in this effort, providing access to cutting-edge treatments while helping researchers better understand how therapies work across diverse populations.
Through initiatives like the Chicago Breast Cancer Research Consortium, Lynn Sage is helping expand access to these trials—connecting patients to innovative research and ensuring broader representation in the studies that shape the future of care.
That same commitment to equity runs through a second Lynn Sage–funded study by Dr. Frederick Howard and colleagues at the University of Chicago. That research developed and validated a deep learning model—trained on digital pathology images and clinical data from a racially and ethnically diverse patient cohort—that can predict a patient’s risk of cancer recurrence and whether they are likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Standard genomic recurrence tests are expensive, can take weeks, and are unavailable in many under-resourced settings. Studies have also shown they are used less frequently in Black patients, compounding existing disparities. Dr. Howard’s AI-based approach aims to change that — reducing delays, lowering costs, and making this critical information available equitably, including in the communities and settings that need it most. Lynn Sage’s early investment in this work helped lay the scientific foundation for research that is now being validated across multiple patient populations.
At the same time, continued investment in research remains essential. From understanding why certain cancers are more aggressive, to developing more personalized treatments, to improving early detection—each breakthrough builds on the support that makes it possible.
Looking Ahead
The story of breast cancer today is one of both progress and possibility. We have made meaningful strides. More people are surviving. More treatments are available. More is understood than ever before.
But there is still more to do.
More to learn about why younger women are being diagnosed.
More to address the disparities that persist across communities.
More to ensure that every patient—regardless of background—has access to the care and innovations that can change their outcome.
Because progress isn’t just about what we discover. It’s about who benefits.
And with continued investment in research, expanded access to clinical trials, and a commitment to equity in care, we move closer to a future where every person diagnosed with breast cancer has the same chance at more tomorrows.