In 1999, cancer experts said one in nine or 10 women would develop breast cancer during their lifetime. In 2005, that statistic is one in seven women who reach the age of 100.

That''s according to Dr. Jill Dietz, a breast surgeon at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She said the numbers of women diagnosed with breast cancer have increased over the past several years.

While that news sounds discouraging, a closer look at the statistics shows some of the increase can be attributed to campaigns to increase awareness about the disease and screening that can detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stage.

A study at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, published in the April issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, found a substantial rise in the incidence of early-stage breast cancers. One such cancer, known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), increased more than sevenfold from 1980 to 2001.

During the same time period, researchers found, the number of cases of invasive breast cancer stayed relatively stable.

Dietz said changes in technology have played a big role in improving survival and locating cancers that medical science previously couldn''t detect.

"Films and imaging today are so much better than they were even a decade ago, and that is part of our ability to detect cancers earlier," she said. "Another part is just awareness to get people in to get their mammograms."

As a result, said Dietz, the death rate from breast cancer is down.

One statistic Dietz finds troubling is the mammography screening rate. Only 65 percent of women over age 40 are getting mammograms. That rate is just 40 percent among women with no health insurance.

Mammograms are available free to uninsured women with low or no income. Call the Breast Health Center at the Siteman Cancer Center, 314-454-8466, for more information.