With a thorough examination of over 50 nations with high-quality population-level cancer data, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and collaborators have released a new analysis that assesses the current and projected global burden of female breast cancer. According to a study published today in Nature Medicine, 1 in 20 women globally will receive a breast cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives. If current trends continue, there will be 3.2 million new cases of breast cancer and 1.1 million deaths from the disease annually by 2050, with nations with low Human Development Indexes (HDI) bearing a disproportionate share of the burden.
These estimates are based on the IARC Global Cancer Observatory, including data from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents and the World Health Organization (WHO) Mortality Database.
“Every minute, four women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and one woman dies from the disease, and these statistics are worsening,” says IARC scientist Dr Joanne Kim, one of the authors of the report. “All stakeholders, particularly governments, can mitigate or reverse these trends by adopting primary prevention policies, such as WHO’s recommended ‘best buys’ for noncommunicable disease prevention, and by investing in early detection and treatment, supported by the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, to save millions of lives in the coming decades.”
Current global burden of breast cancer
Breast cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer worldwide and the most common type among women. In 2022, there were a projected 2.3 million new instances of breast cancer and 670,000 deaths from the disease worldwide. However, different parts of the world do not bear an equal burden of breast cancer.
An indirect indicator of how deadly a breast cancer diagnosis is for women in various nations is to compare a nation's incidence and mortality rates. According to the findings, in nations with very high HDI, 17 out of every 100 women who receive a breast cancer diagnosis pass away from the disease, whereas in nations with low HDI, over half of them (56), do so. The discrepancy that has been noticed is probably related to injustices in the early detection, timely diagnosis and access to comprehensive breast cancer management.
Mortality rates
The researchers discovered that in 27 of the 50 nations (mainly those with very high HDI) having data that satisfied the IARC Cancer Incidence in Five Continents quality requirements, the incidence of breast cancer rose by 1–5% year during the most recent 10-year historical data period (2008–2017).
“This report highlights the urgent need for high-quality cancer data and accurate records of the number of new diagnoses and outcomes in countries with low and medium HDI,” says Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC. “Continued progress in early diagnosis and improved access to treatment are essential to address the global gap in breast cancer and ensure that the goal of reducing suffering and death from breast cancer is achieved by all countries worldwide.”
NOTE: The World Health Organization (WHO) started the Global Breast Cancer Initiative in 2021 in response to the significant number of premature breast cancer deaths that occur worldwide and the significant disparities in breast cancer survival in various areas. Between 2020 and 2040, the Global Breast Cancer Initiative seeks to save 2.5 million deaths from breast cancer by reducing mortality rates by an average of 2.5% annually.
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