Increasing the Effort Toward Breast Cancer Detection

IN 1985, cancer continued to be the second-leading cause of death in the United States, and cancer of the breast accounts for more deaths of American women than any other malignancy except for lung cancer. It is estimated that, in 1986, a total of 119,000 women will develop cancer of the breast, and approximately 39,000 women will die of this disease.1Because breast cancer will develop in one of every 11 women (9%),allwomen should be considered at risk for the development of breast cancer.2Women themselves are well aware of the breast cancer problem. In a survey done by the National Institutes of Health in 1979, over three fourths of the respondents thought that cancer was the greatest health concern for women today, and nearly half mentioned breast cancer specifically.3Since the five- and ten-year survival of women with breast tumors relates directly to tumor