Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer among women worldwide. A new study estimates that the number of cases will exceed 3.5 million by 2050.
Due to decades of investment in screening, early diagnosis and treatment in high income countries, breast cancer deaths declined by nearly 30 percent between 1990 and 2023 in those nations. However, the situation is the opposite in low income countries, where the death rate from breast cancer has nearly doubled during the same period.
According to research published in The Lancet Oncology, an analysis of breast cancer trends across 204 countries and territories over more than three decades shows that the global gap between survival and mortality for the most common cancer among women is widening further.
The study’s senior author Dr Lisa Force, assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that over time mortality rates have declined in wealthy countries while increasing in poorer nations.
The research states that nearly one in four cancer cases diagnosed in women worldwide this year was breast cancer. The situation is particularly alarming in sub Saharan Africa, where the mortality rate is more than double the global average.
Experts say limiting red meat consumption is the most effective lifestyle change, followed by quitting smoking, controlling blood sugar, maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active.
According to experts, lifestyle changes cannot completely eliminate the risk of breast cancer because most causes of the disease are not related to lifestyle. They recommend that women undergo a mammogram every two years after the age of 40 and continue until the age of 74.
Any woman concerned about breast cancer or at higher risk, such as those with a family history of the disease or obesity, should consult her physician. Furthermore, self examination, which was previously commonly recommended, is no longer part of standard guidelines.
