According to Lancet, breast cancer fatalities will quadruple by 40

According to a recent Lancet Commission research, breast cancer has become the most frequent disease worldwide, with an incidence rate expected to exceed three million cases and one million annual deaths by 2040. It said that 6,85,000 people worldwide died from breast cancer in 2020, with over three million women receiving a diagnosis.

Globally, women in 2020 had an estimated 1 in 12 chance of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis before to becoming 75 years old. Men account for around 1% of the overall incidence, according to studies.

By 2040, there will be over three million new diagnoses annually, a 40% rise from 2020. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) would be “disproportionately affected” by this burden.

It said that one million people would die from the illness annually by 2040, a fifty percent rise from 2020. The authors said, “Action now can prevent many of these future cancers, so this is neither acceptable nor inevitable.” Additionally, it said that 7-8 million women will have received a breast cancer diagnosis in the next five years, making breast cancer “now the most prevalent cancer in the world.” The number of individuals living with metastatic breast cancer is still unclear.

According to Dr. Pragya Shukla, Head of Department (Clinical Oncology), Delhi State Cancer Institute, breast cancer was formerly thought to be an illness exclusive to metropolitan India’s upper middle class and wealthy. “But now, it impacts all social classes in both urban and rural areas.”

According to her, one in twenty-eight women will have breast cancer in their lifetime. For urban women, that number is higher at one in twenty-two, compared to one in sixty for those living in rural areas.

She did, however, add that breast cancer is preventable. “Changes in lifestyle, such losing weight, getting more exercise, and reducing stress, may reduce the risk of breast cancer. Frequent screening may assist in early discovery, increasing the likelihood that a treatment will be found, according to Dr. Shukla.

According to the report, there are still disparities in breast cancer treatment and research despite significant advancements over the past three decades that have reduced breast cancer mortality by more than 40% in some high-income countries (HICs). Many groups are routinely left behind, disregarded, and even forgotten, the report stated.

The extent of suffering and other expenses related to breast cancer are not accurately quantified; society and policymakers perceive only the “tip of an iceberg” and advocate for “bold policy changes” that can lower the number of people exposed to risk factors under their control, such as alcohol use, obesity, and physical inactivity.

They proposed that enhanced patient-provider communication may lead to improved life outcomes. Reshma Jagsi of Emory University School of Medicine in the US said, “Women’s fundamental human rights have historically been accorded less respect than men’s in all settings, with implications for patient agency and autonomy.”

“A healthier lifestyle can fend off breast cancer.”

According to Dr. Pragya Shukla, Head of Department (Clinical Oncology), Delhi State Cancer Institute, breast cancer was formerly thought to be an illness exclusive to metropolitan India’s upper middle class and wealthy. “But now, it impacts all social classes in both urban and rural areas.” She did, however, add that breast cancer is preventable. “Changes in lifestyle, like losing weight, getting more exercise, and reducing stress, can reduce the risk of breast cancer,” Dr. Shukla said.