UNITED NATIONS (Kashmir English): Cass of breast cancer are likely to surge by 38 percent worldwide by 2050, with annual disease-related deaths projected to climb by 68 percent, a new report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggests.
The findings of IARC, a specialized branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), a Geneva-based UN agency, were published in ‘Nature Medicine’ on Tuesday.
The research warns that if current trends continue, the world will see 3.2 million fresh cases of breast cancer and 1.1 million deaths each year by mid-century.
The burden will be disproportionately felt in low- and middle-income countries, where access to early detection, care and treatment remains limited.
Rising number of breast cancer cases
The report indicated that every minute, four women are diagnosed with breast cancer globally and one woman dies from the disease. “These statistics are worsening,” said Dr. Joanne Kim, an IARC scientist and co-author of the report.
“Countries 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,” she explained.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women globally and the second most common disease overall.
An estimated 2.3 million new cases were diagnosed in 2022 alone, with 670,000 deaths recorded. However, the report underlines significant disparities across regions.
The highest cases were recorded in Australia, New Zealand, North America and Northern Europe, while the lowest rates were found in South-Central Asia and parts of Africa.
Meanwhile, the highest deaths were reported in Western Africa, where limited access to healthcare contributes to poorer outcomes.
Furthermore, the link between breast cancer survival and economic development is stark: in high-income countries, 83 percent of diagnosed women survive, whereas in low-income countries, more than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer die from it.
The World Health Organization launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative in 2021, aimed to reduce breast cancer mortality rates by 2.5 per cent per year, which could prevent 2.5 million deaths by 2040.
The initiative focuses on early detection, timely diagnosis and access to quality treatment.
