CANCER STATISTICS

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Key statistics (Breast, ICD-10: C50)

Female Male
Cancer incidence 2018–2022
Average number of new cases per year 4992 28
Age-standardised incidence per 100 000 persons per year 164.8 1.0
Proportion of all cancers 28.7% 0.1%
Risk of developing cancer during lifetime 13.4% 0.1%
Average annual change in years 2013–2022 0.0% -2.6%
Cancer mortality 2018–2022
Average number of deaths per year 903 5
Age-standardised mortality per 100 000 persons per year 27.0 0.2
Proportion of all cancer deaths 14.8% 0.1%
Risk of dying from cancer during lifetime 3.1% 0.0%
Average annual change in years 2013–2022 -0.4% -1.4%
Cancer prevalence at the end of 2022
Number of people living with cancer diagnosis 82068 301
Number of people living with cancer per 100 000 persons 2920.1 10.9
Relative survival 2018–2022
One year after diagnosis 98% 96%
Five years after diagnosis 91% 87%

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Age-specific cancer incidence and mortality 2018–2022

Cancer incidence and mortality in 1953–2022 (age-standardised)

Cancer survival in 1958–2022 (age-standardised)

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How to interpret the table and figures? (Breast)

Cancer incidence in 2018–2022

  • On average 4992 women and 28 men were diagnosed with cancer each year
    • 28.7% and 0.1% of all new cancer cases in women and men, respectively
    • relative to population 164.8 in 100,000 women and 1.0 in 100,000 men, were diagnosed with cancer each year (if the population’s age structure corresponded to Finland’s age structure in 2014).
  • The risk of developing cancer was highest in women aged 75-79 years (see top figure)
    • 399 in 100,000 women developed cancer each year
    • In the male population of the same age, 3 in 100,000 men developed cancer each year
  • 13.4% of women and 0.1% of men develop breast cancer during their lifetime. This calculated estimate is based on the cancer incidence in 2018–2022.
  • Over the last ten years, 2013–2022, the average risk of cancer
    • did not change statistically significantly in women
    • in men, the trend could not be reliably estimated due to the low number of cases

Cancer mortality in 2018–2022

  • On average, 903 women and 5 men died from cancer each year
    • 14.8% and 0.1% of all cancer deaths in women and men, respectively
  • The risk of dying from cancer was highest in women aged 85 and over (see top figure)
    • 173 in 100,000 women died from cancer each year
    • In the male population of the same age, 2 in 100,000 men died from cancer each year
  • 3.1% of women and 0.0% of men die from cancer during their lifetime. This calculated estimate is based on the cancer mortality in 2018–2022.
  • Over the last ten years, 2013–2022, the average risk of dying from cancer
    • did not change statistically significantly in women
    • in men, the trend could not be reliably estimated due to the low number of cases

Number of people living with breast cancer at the end of 2022

  • 82068 women and 301 men diagnosed with cancer were alive
    • 2.9% of women and 0.0% of men in Finland

Patient survival in 2018–2022

  • The average survival of patients was
    • 98% in women and 96% in men one year after diagnosis
    • 91% in women and 87% in men five years after diagnosis

Learn more about cancer diseases on the website All about cancer.

SCREENING STATISTICS

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Breast cancer screening
Screening data
Screening age 50–69 years
Screening test mammography
Screening interval 2 years
Invitations and examinations (2022)
Number of invitations 353,010
Number of examinations 288,007
Invitation coverage 99.9%
Participation 81.6%
Results and findings (2022)
Normal result 97.2%
Invitation to confirmatory examination 2.8%
Referral to 0.8%
Number of breast cancer cases diagnosed at screening 1,850
Detection mode of breast cancer in people of screening age (2018–2022)
By screening 61.4%
Between screening rounds 25.5%
In screening non-participants 12.6%
No screening invitation recorded 0.5%

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Participation in screening

Confirmation examinations (2018–2022)

Histological results in specialised medical care (2018–2022)

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Summary

Screening programme

  • Women aged between 50 and 69 are invited to breast cancer screening every two years.
  • The primary screening method is mammography, an X-ray examination of the breast.

Screening statistics from 2022

  • Some 353,000 screening invitations were sent, and approximately 288,000 women participated in screening.
  • 99.9% of the target population were invited to screening, and 81.6% of those invited participated in screening.
  • 97.2% of the participants received a normal test result at screening, and 2.8% were invited to further diagnostic examinations. 0.8% of the screening participants received a referral to specialised medical care, where a majority were diagnosed with breast cancer.
  • A total of 1,850 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the screening programme.

Detection mode

  • In 2018-2022, 51% of breast cancer cases diagnosed in Finland were diagnosed in people of screening age, 37% in people older than screening age and 12% in people younger than screening age.
  • Among people of screening age, 61% of breast cancers were diagnosed at screening, 26% between screening rounds and 13% among screening non-participants.

Learn more about breast cancer screening.

CONCEPTS

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Terms and definitions used in the cancer statistics
Cancer incidence The number of new cancer cases over a specific period of time (e.g. one calendar year) in the population. The incidence ratio is the number of cases per 100,000 persons per year. It is the number of new cases age-standardised to Finland’s age structure in 2014, i.e. in relation to the population, if the age structure of the population corresponded to the age structure in Finland in 2014. Gender differences or temporal changes in the age structure do not influence age-standardised incidence.
Cancer mortality The number of deaths attributable to cancer over a specific period of time in the population. The mortality ratio is the number of deaths per 100,000 persons per year. It is the number of cancer deaths age-standardised to Finland’s age structure in 2014, i.e. in relation to the population, if the age structure of the population corresponded to the age structure in Finland in 2014. Gender differences or temporal changes in the age structure do not influence age-standardised mortality.
Ten-year development in incidence and mortality Changes in the incidence and mortality of cancer were examined by comparing the average incidence and mortality rates per age group over the last ten years. The change percentage describes the average annual change in incidence and mortality rates per age group relative to the population. For example, a change percentage in incidence of +2% means an annual increase of 2 per cent, whereas –2% means an annual decrease of 2 per cent in age-standardised incidence.
People living with cancer (prevalence) The number of people living with cancer in the population at the end of 2022. The prevalence proportion is the corresponding number in relation to the population.
Patient survival The average survival of patients is measured by a relative survival ratio. It is an estimate of the proportion of patients who are alive after a certain period of time after diagnosis, if the cancer were the only factor affecting the mortality. The time series for patient survival has been age-standardised to the age distribution of patients diagnosed in Finland between 2018 and 2022, so that changes in the age structure do not affect the time series.

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Terms and definitions used in the screening statistics
Invitation coverage The proportion of invitation recipients of the registered target population for the screening.
Participation The proportion of screening participants of those who received a screening invitation.
Detection mode Diagnosed cancer cases among people of screening age have been classified in four categories based on data from the screening register: (1) cancers detected by screening, (2) cancers detected between screening rounds, (3) cancers detected in screening non-participants, and (4) cancers in people of screening age for whom no screening invitation has been recorded.
Normal result The next screening invitation is sent after the screening interval, if the person is still in the target group for screening.
Confirmation examination The result requires further examination (additional mammograms, ultrasound, needle biopsy, ductography and/or pneumocystography).
Referral to specialised health care Further examinations require specialised medical care.