There’s been a dramatic change in the national breast cancer surveillance statistics. Until now, statistics showed that one in eight women is likely to receive a diagnosis at some point during her lifetime. Now, that number has changed to one in seven.

The reason for the change is that more women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, but no one is sure exactly what accounts for the higher numbers, reported KCRA-TV in Sacramento.

The United States population is aging, and the older a woman gets, the more likely she is to get breast cancer.

But there are two important issues to consider. Doctors don’t know if more women are actually getting breast cancer than before because they don’t know what causes it.

The other factor is awareness. It could be that the public is getting a better idea of how many women are truly affected by the disease.

“This is great news,” said Ann Herbert-Novak, of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. “It means that women are being educated. They’re more aware that they need to do their breast self-exams at the age of 20. They also need to go do their clinical breast exams, meaning they need to go and see their health care provider. And at the age of 40, they’re getting their mammograms.”

However, a study published in the Oct. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that late-stage breast cancers are still prevalent, suggesting failures in the screening process.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that 52 percent of the late-stage breast cancer cases were associated with an absence of screening, 39 percent with an absence of detection, and 8 percent with a potential breakdown in follow-up.

Those who live to be old enough are likely to get breast cancer. So, the best thing they can do is spot it early, get it treated immediately and move forward. Women who get their tumors treated while the cancer is still confined to the breast have a 95 percent chance of long-term survival, according to statistics.