Breast cancer has emerged as the leading cause of cancer related mortality in women all over the world. Based on a recent study conducted to assess the risk of breast cancer in India, TMC (Tata Memorial Centre) has reported that one in 28 women develop breast cancer in their lifetime. It is one of the most common types of cancer currently on the rise in Indian cities, and is the 2nd most common cancer affecting rural women. To bring things into perspective, if one in 22 women living in urban areas is at risk of this cancer, then the risk for women in rural region is relatively lower namely one in 60.
The average age of women who are at an increased susceptibility to breast cancer is 43 – 46 years in India, unlike the western countries where women in the age group of 53 – 57 years are more prone to this disease. With current lifestyle measures coupled with uncontrollable risk factors of breast cancer, women as young as 20 years of age are at a high risk of this disease. By the end of 2012, nearly 144,937 breast cancer cases were reported in India and more than 70,218 women died of the disease. (Read: 6 breast cancer symptoms you should never ignore)
According to National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, major Indian cities account for approximately 25% of all breast cancer cases in women. Although Mumbai showed a drop in the number of breast cancer cases in the last few years, three major cities in South India namely Bangalore, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram showed an upward trend. Experts estimated that that by 2015 there will be 155000 new cases of breast cancer and around 76000 women might die due to the disease. This drastic rise in the number of breast cancer cases in Indian women in a span of just two years is only worsening. This widening gap indicates the need for proper awareness among women (especially young women) about breast cancer and its early detection for better survival rate.
So, this Breast Cancer Awareness month, get tested for the presence of the cancer and don’t ignore any symptoms of the disease.
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