Aydah AlAwadhi, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Division Chair of Hematology and Oncology Department at Sheikh Shakbout Medical City, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Just Published in The Lancet Group: The Global Breast Cancer Burden Is Rising — And the Gap in Outcomes Is Widening.
Global burden:
2.3 million new breast cancer cases and ~764,000 deaths worldwide annually.
Geographic disparities:
73% of cases (~1.67 million) occur in high- and upper-middle-income countries.
~39% of deaths (~300,000) occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries, reflecting major survival inequities.
Future projections:
By 2050, incidence is projected to rise ~33% to >3.5 million cases annually.
Deaths may increase ~44% to ~1.4 million per year.
Interpretation:
- ~25–30% of the global burden is potentially preventable, emphasizing the importance of risk-factor modification, early detection, and access to treatment.
- Without effective interventions, many countries will fall short of the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative target of a 2.5% annual reduction in age-standardised mortality by 2040.
- The growing burden—disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations—risks widening global health inequalities unless urgent action is taken to expand screening, diagnosis, and treatment access.
Clinical takeaway:
Breast cancer incidence and mortality will continue to rise globally, with the greatest impact in resource-limited settings, making early detection and equitable treatment access critical priorities.”
Title: Global, regional, and national burden of breast cancer among females, 1990–2023, with forecasts to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
Read the Full Article.
Other articles featuring Aydah AlAwadhi on OncoDaily.