Breast cancer diagnoses and deaths expected to surge worldwide, says WHO

Breast cancer diagnoses and deaths are projected to surge worldwide by 2050, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency has said, with cases in the UK to rise by 21% and deaths by 42%.

Globally, one in 20 women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime, with cases up 38% and deaths up 68% over the next 25 years, according to an analysis by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

There will be 3.2m new cases and 1.1m deaths a year worldwide by 2050 if current trends continue, the study found. In the UK, cases are expected to rise from 58,756 cases a year in 2022 to 71,006 cases a year in 2050. Deaths will jump from 12,122 a year in 2022 to 17,261 in 2050.

“Every minute, four women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and one woman dies from the disease, and these statistics are worsening,” said the IARC scientist Dr Joanne Kim, one of the authors of the report.

“Countries can mitigate or reverse these trends by adopting primary prevention policies … and by investing in early detection and treatment.”

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Source: The Guardian, 24 February 2025