Why is breast cancer increasing among young women?

BarcelonaThe survival of patients with breast cancer has changed radically in the last three decadesBut cases continue to rise. It is the most common tumor in women, and since 1990, cases in young women between 20 and 54 years old have increased by 29%, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study Breast Cancer Collaborators, published in the journal The Lancet OncologyGlobally, three times as many new cases are still diagnosed in women aged 55 and older, but experts have detected an increase in cases among women who have not yet gone through menopause.

"Breast cancer continues to have a profound impact on women's lives and communities," says the lead author of the analysis, Kayleigh Bhangdia, of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. The study used population-based registry data from 204 countries from 1990 to 2023 and made projections to 2050. According to expert estimates, the number of cases worldwide will rise from 2.3 million in 2023 to more than 3.5 million in 2050.

Despite advances in treatments and new diagnostic tools, the authors link this increase to modifiable risk factors. According to the study, 28% of the global burden of breast cancer was related to red meat consumption, smoking, high blood glucose, a high body mass index, high alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity. It also indicates that more than a quarter of the healthy life years lost and premature death from this cancer worldwide could be avoided with a healthy lifestyle. The authors maintain that, in total, 11.7 million healthy life years were lost among all patients, although they focus on lower-income countries.

Mortality falls in Spain

"The growing burden of breast cancer is shifting towards low- and lower-middle-income countries, where diagnoses often occur at more advanced stages, access to quality care is more limited, and mortality rates are higher," laments Bhangdia. The authors emphasize that with greater equitable access in resource-poor settings, investment in innovative therapies, and strong political will, it could be ensured that all women have the same chance of overcoming the disease.

Since 1990, age-specific rates of new breast cancer cases have increased dramatically (an average of 147%), but mortality rates have decreased by an average of 30% in high-income countries and have nearly doubled in low-income countries. In Spain, for example, the death rate fell by 41.9% between 1990 and 2023, from 23.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 1990 to 13 in 2023.