Breast cancer increasing rapidly in the developing world

Incidence of breast cancer is increasing rapidly in the developing world, and survival rates are lower due to late diagnosis, researchers in Sweden say. The report, written by Bengt Jonsson of the Stockholm School of Economics and Nils Wilking of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, also found as incidence of breast cancer was increasing rapidly in the developing world, survival rates were lower due to late stage diagnosis of the disease and limited access to treatment. The analysis, commissioned by GE Healthcare, also found: -- Incidence rates in developed countries such as the Nordics, United States and Canada over the last two decades were stabilizing or falling. Death rates in these countries were decreasing. -- Using data from 2008, 15 million years of healthy life was lost worldwide due to women dying early or being ill with breast cancer. -- Women in Africa, China and the United States lost the most years of healthy life. In some countries breast cancer is one of the major cancers and while many women survive, many also experience disability or side effects from treatment. -- Of the 15 million years of healthy life list globally more than three times as many years were lost due to dying than being ill with the disease. -- Particularly in developing countries, low consumer awareness of the benefits of screening, the impact of breast cancer and cultural barriers are causing women to present very late with their symptoms. -- There is a lack of access to accurate and current data on breast cancer incidence and mortality, the economic burden of the disease and detailed patient linked data on the outcomes in relation to treatment patterns and diagnosis.