Epidemiology

In the US, approximately 6% of women have metastatic breast cancer (MBC) when they are first diagnosed (i.e., de novo MBC).[4][5]​​​​​

Metastatic disease was diagnosed in 260,379 (5.6%) of 4,652,885 new cases of female breast cancer reported between 2001 and 2021 in the US. Incidence of MBC has increased from 5.8 cases per 100,000 population in 2001 to 7.9 per 100,000 in 2021.[6]

Incidence of metastatic female breast cancer is higher among non-Hispanic black women (age-adjusted incidence 11.4 per 100,000 in 2021) than among women from other racial and ethnic groups in the US (7.4 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic white women; 7.9 per 100,000 for all racial and ethnic groups combined, in 2021).[6]

Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in middle-aged or older women; median age at diagnosis (all stages) in women in the US is 63 years.[4]​ Incidence of metastatic female breast cancer rises with age, increasing from <1 per 100,000 population in women aged <40 years to 25.5 per 100,000 in women aged ≥75 years.[6]

The breast is the most common site of cancer in women worldwide, accounting for approximately 23.8% of all new cancers in women in 2022, with highest incidence rates in Australia-New Zealand, North America, Northern Europe, and Western Europe.[7]

There were an estimated 310,720 new cases of female breast cancer, and 42,250 deaths from female breast cancer, in the US in 2024.[4]

Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer