The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has warned about the increase in breast cancer deaths in countries with a low Human Development Index (HDI), while in Europe, 8% of women diagnosed under the age of 50 die, compared to 41% in Africa.
According to the WHO, the key to reducing this trend is prevention, early detection, and the implementation of public policies that strengthen primary care. Between 2008 and 2017, breast cancer incidence increased by 1% to 5% per year in more than half of the 50 countries analyzed, mainly due to prevention and diagnostic policies in countries with a higher HDI.
In 2022, there were 2.3 million new breast cancer diagnoses worldwide and 670,000 deaths from this disease. The IARC projects that by the year 2050 there will be 3.2 million new cases per year (a 38% increase) and more than a million deaths (a 68% increase) if this worrying trend continues.
Women over 50 years old account for 71% of diagnoses and 79% of deaths, with varying figures in different regions of the world. Breast cancer mortality is higher in less developed countries, noting that East Asia is the region with the lowest proportion of deaths.
According to Joanne Kim, one of the scientists responsible for the report, every minute four women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and one of them dies from this disease. The statistics are increasingly alarming, and the impact of treatments is evident when comparing more and less developed areas.
