Breast cancer in Mongolia: an increasingly important health policy issue

Abstract

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death for women in both developed and developing countries. The incidence and mortality of breast cancer in Mongolia, while low compared with other counties, has been increasing on an annual basis. In addition, in Mongolia, approximately 90% of the patients are diagnosed at a late stage, resulting in high mortality, with the majority of individuals diagnosed with breast cancer dying within 5 years of diagnosis. Breast cancer screening plays an important role in reducing mortality in Western countries and has been adopted by a number of Asian countries; however, no such approach exists in Mongolia. In a country of limited resources, implementation of expensive health strategies such as screening requires effective allocations of resources and the identification of the most effective imaging methods. This requirement relies on recent accurate data; however, at this time, there is a paucity of information around breast cancer in Mongolia. Until data around features of the disease are available, effective strategies to diagnose breast cancer that recognize the economic climate in Mongolia cannot be implemented and the impact of breast cancer is likely to increase.

Keywords: Mongolia; breast screening; incidence; mortality.

Figure 1

Incidence rate of female breast cancer, Mongolia, 2009–2013. Note: Data from Cancer Registry Data, National Cancer Center, Mongolia, 2009–2013. Abbreviation: ASR, age-standardized rate.

Figure 2

Age-standardized incidence rate by province, Mongolia, 2013. Note: Data from Cancer Registry Data, National Cancer Center, Mongolia, 2009–2013.

Figure 3

Age-specific incidence rate of female breast cancer, 2012. Notes: The right axis indicates the incidence rates for Mongolia, China and Vietnam; the left axis indicates the incidence rates for Australia, USA and UK. Data from GLOBOCAN 2012.

Figure 4

Breast cancer by stage, Mongolia.

Figure 5

Mortality rate of female breast cancer, Mongolia, 2009–2013. Note: Data from Cancer Registry Data, National Cancer Center, Mongolia, 2009–2013. Abbreviation: ASR, age-standardized rate.

Figure 6

Age-standardized mortality rate by province, Mongolia, 2013. Note: Data from Cancer Registry Data, National Cancer Center, Mongolia, 2009–2013.