Multistakeholder collaboration to enhance breast cancer care

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to honor survivors, remember those lost, and strengthen efforts to save more lives. Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second most common cancer overall.

- TEODORO B. PADILLA

A new analysis by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) warns that unless urgent action is taken, breast cancer cases and deaths will continue to rise, especially in countries with lower levels of human development.

Published in Nature Medicine in February, the IARC study projected that by 2050, the world could see 3.2 million new breast cancer cases each year, which is a 38% increase. The IARC study also forecast 1.1 million related deaths, up 68% from current figures. Worryingly, most of these new cases and deaths will occur in lowand middle-income countries (LMICs).

The study, which analyzed global data from 185 countries, found that breast cancer affected 2.3 million women and caused 670,000 deaths in 2022 alone. While some high-income countries have seen declining mortality rates, thanks to early detection and advanced treatment, many others continue to experience rising incidence rates of one to five percent annually.

In fact, only seven countries, including Belgium and Denmark, are currently on track to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) goal of a 2.5% annual decline in mortality.