WHO Warning: Breast Cancer Cases Rising Fast; Where Does India Stand?

New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded an alert: breast cancer cases are surging globally at an alarming rate.

According to the WHO’s latest report, one in 20 women are getting diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. If the current rate of diagnosis continues, there will be 3.2 million new breast cancer cases by 2050, and 1.1 million breast cancer-related deaths every year.

The growth rate was high in countries with a low Human Development Index (HDI).

As far as India is concerned, breast cancer is the most common among Indian women, accounting for about 28% of all female cancers. In 2022, India reported 192,020 new cases of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is on the rise, both in urban and rural India.

Overall, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) found that India ranked third in cancer incidence after China and the US, accounting for over 10% of the world’s cancer-related deaths, ranking second after China.

ICMR has predicted that in the upcoming two decades, India will face a formidable challenge in managing cancer deaths, with a yearly increase of 2%.

The ICMR study, published in The Lancet, examined trends in 36 types of cancer, including breast cancer, across age groups and genders. It was found that three in every five people in India die of cancer following diagnosis, with women bearing a “disproportionate burden”.

The fact that more younger women in India are getting diagnosed with breast cancer is extremely concerning, according to Dr Aditi Chaturvedi, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Breast Cancer, Max Super Speciality Hospital (Saket).

“While 5-10% cases are genetic, 90% are lifestyle or environment-related. These could be post-menopausal weight gain, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol, smoking, uninhibited oestrogen exposure because of lifestyle choices like late childbirth and lack of breastfeeding. But we can’t point to a direct cause,” said Dr Chaturvedi.

According to experts, breast cancer incidence in India can occur a decade earlier than in the West.

The most common signs and symptoms of breast cancer are lump in the breast, changes in breast size or shape, changes in skin like dimpling, scaling, redness, nipple changes, blood discharge from the nipple, and swelling or lump in the armpit.

Women of all ages need to be aware of the symptoms to detect cancer early.

Self-detection is easier in case of breast cancer, than many other forms.