A recent study revealed that breast cancer deaths are likely to continue increasing over the next decade and a half.
As per a study published in The Lancet Oncology, breast cancer worldwide is estimated to rise by 44%, increasing to 1.4 million by 2050 from 764,000 in 2023.
Breast cancer cases are also expected to rise, rising by one-third to more than 3.5 million in 2050 from 2.3 million in 2023, researchers found.
They said these increases will occur despite advancements in detecting and treating breast cancers, with cases and deaths rising in particular among lower-income countries.
said lead researcher Kayleigh Bhangdia, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.
For the research, scientists assessed breast cancer data covering 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023, and used that to project cancer cases and deaths out to 2050.
In 2023, 28% of the global breast cancer burden was associated with six modifiable risk factors: red meat, smoking, hyperglycemia, increased body mass index, drinking, and lack of exercise.
Co-senior author Marie Ng stated, “With more than a quarter of the global breast cancer burden linked to six modifiable lifestyle changes, there are tremendous opportunities to alter the trajectory of breast cancer risk for the next generation.”
“Targeting known risk factors through public health policies and making healthier choices more accessible, while working with individuals to take action to reduce obesity and high blood sugar, is crucial to halting the rise in breast cancers worldwide,” she added.
Furthermore, scientists discovered a disturbing rise in breast cancers among younger women.
Since 1990, new cases have significantly increased by 29% among 20- to 54-year-old women, while rates among older women remain steady.
Three times as many new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in women 55 or older in contrast to women between 20 to 54.
