Over the past 50 years, breast cancer has been on the rise in industrialized nations due to a complex mixture of factors including genetics, modernization, and improved screening procedures. In 2020, female breast cancer became the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease, with an estimated 2.3 million new cases worldwide. One in eight women in the United States is expected to be diagnosed within their lifetime.
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Despite its current prevalence, breast cancer has a long history. Because of its visibility, it was the most frequently described form of cancer in ancient texts. Mastectomies have been recorded as early as 548 AD, its earliest notation as recommended treatment for Eastern Roman Empress Theodora. Despite its long existence, breast cancer remained largely uncommon until the Industrial Revolution, when advancements in science and technology brought about seismic shifts — but remained a matter discussed behind closed doors until First Lady Betty Ford spoke openly about her diagnosis in 1974.
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Since then, breast cancer has come to the fore, and with it a host of conversations that center, question, and expand the way we think about the disease. Artists have historically been at the forefront of the discussions, pushing the boundaries of representation and visibility with the understanding that “Seeing is believing but feeling is the truth,” a sentiment first espoused by seventeenth English clergyman Thomas Fuller that underscores the ways in which empathy can transform our worldview.
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