Current Status and Future Projections of Breast Cancer in Asia

Abstract

Asia is the world's largest continent comprising about 3/5 of the human population. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Asia, accounting for 39% of all breast cancers diagnosed worldwide. The incidence of breast cancer in Asia varies widely across the continent and is still lower than in Western countries, but the proportional contribution of Asia to the global breast cancer rates is increasing rapidly in parallel to the socioeconomic development. However, the mortality-to-incidence ratios are much higher for Asia than for Western countries. Most Asian countries are low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where breast cancer presents at a younger age and a later stage, and where patients are more likely to die from the disease than those in Western countries. Moreover, diagnostic workup, treatment and palliative services are inadequate in most Asian LMICs. In this review, we present an overview of the breast cancer risk factors and epidemiology, control measures, and cancer care among Asian countries.

Keywords: Asia; Breast cancer; Epidemiology; Incidence; Screening.

Fig. 1

Incidence and M/I ratio of breast cancer in the Asia region. Data are adapted from [1]. ASR = Age-standardized rate (per 100,000 women), M/I = mortality-to-incidence rate ratio.

Fig. 2

Opioid consumption maps - morphine, mg/capita, 2012 [79].