According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the term Native American, American Indian or Alaska Native refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, who maintain a tribal affiliation or community attachment. Komen aims to be inclusive of all individuals who identify themselves as either Native American or Indigenous, American Indian or Alaska Native. The terms American Indian and Alaska Native are used in the statements in this video as statistics are reported this way. The Native American, American Indian and Alaska Native population is diverse, with 574 federally recognized tribes and more than 200 that remain unrecognized, each with its own distinct customs, languages and history. American Indian and Alaska Native women typically have lower incidence rates of breast cancer than white or Black women. However, breast cancer is the most common cancer in this group of women and is the second leading cause of cancer death among them. Both breast cancer incidence and mortality vary according to where American Indian and Alaska Native women live.

Those who live in the Southern Plains, the Northern Plains and Alaska have the highest breast cancer incidence rates, higher than white women in the same areas. Women who live in the Southwest and the East have lower incidence rates. American Indian and Alaska Native women have a higher mortality rate than white women, despite having a lower breast cancer incidence rate. Breast cancer mortality is high among American Indian and Alaska Native women, due in part to differences in stage at diagnosis and survival. These disparities reflect unequal access to high-quality cancer screening and treatment.

To learn more about Native American, American Indian or Alaska Native women, you can visit the Breast Cancer Statistics page on komen.org.