October is breast cancer awareness month, and this cancer can prove to be very serious and life-threatening. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022, 6,70,000 people died worldwide due to this cancer, of which more than 99% of the cases were of women. According to a study by the American Cancer Society, between 2012 and 2021, there has been an increase of 1.4% every year in breast cancer cases in women under the age of 50. A study suggests that now 20-year-old girls in the US are also falling prey to this cancer.
Cancer in 20-year-old girls
According to research published in JAMA Network Open, breast cancer is spreading rapidly among women aged 20 to 49 in the US. Researchers analyzed data from more than 2,17,000 American women affected by breast cancer from 2000 to 2019. In 2000, breast cancer cases in this age group were about 64 per 100,000. Over the next 16 years, the rate increased to about 0.24% per year. By 2016, there were 66 cases per 100,000, but the rate accelerated thereafter. By 2019, the rate reached 74 cases per 100,000, an increase in just three years.
Breast cancer risk in women
A study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that the risk of breast cancer in women under the age of 50 has increased over the past two decades. Specifically, women aged 20 to 29 have a 53% higher risk of breast cancer than other groups.
Breast cancer in India
A total of 1,62,468 cases of breast cancer were reported in India in 2018, of which 87,090 women died. The cancer survival rate in India is 60%, which is 20% less than the US rate. This cancer is increasing rapidly not only in urban areas but also in rural areas. Younger women are also falling prey to this disease, and the risk of death is increasing due to delay in treatment. The main reasons for the increase in this cancer include tobacco, alcohol, obesity, wrong lifestyle, and pollution.
