Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov 2;22(1):1123.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-022-10243-w.

Paradoxes of breast cancer incidence and mortality in two corners of Europe

Mikaela Roginski  1 , Dimitra Sifaki-Pistolla  2 , Andreas Stomby  3 , Georgia Velivasaki  2 , Tomas Faresjö  3 , Christos Lionis  3   2 , Åshild Faresjö  3
Affiliations

Paradoxes of breast cancer incidence and mortality in two corners of Europe

Mikaela Roginski et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer incidence is rising globally, while mortality rates show a geographical heterogenous pattern. Early detection and treatment have been proven to have a profound impact on breast cancer prognosis. The aim of his study was to compare breast cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates in two contrasting corners of Europe, Sweden and Crete, to better understand cancer determinants with focus on disease burden and sociocultural factors.

Methods: Breast cancer data from Sweden and Crete was derived from registries. Incidence and mortality were expressed as Age-Standardized Incidence Rates (ASIR), Age-Standardized Mortality Rates (ASMR).

Findings: Breast cancer incidence has for decades risen in Sweden and on Crete. In 2019, ASIR was 217.5 in Sweden and 58.9 on Crete, (p < 0.001). Mortality rates showed opposite trends. ASMR in Sweden was reduced from 25.5 to 16.8 (2005-2019) while on Crete, ASMR increased from 22.1 to 25.3. A successive rise in survival rate in Sweden with a 5-year survival rate of 92% since 2015, but a converse development on Crete with 85% 5-year survival rate the same year.

Interpretation: The incidence of breast cancer is slowly rising in both studied regions, but mortality increases on Crete in contrast to Sweden with sinking mortality rates. The interpretation of these findings is that differences in health care systems and health policies including differences in early detection like screening programs and early treatment, as well as sociocultural factors in the two countries might play an important role on the differences found in breast cancer burden.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Comparative study; Incidence; Mortality; Register data.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
ASIR for breast cancer and trends on Crete compared to Sweden over the last decades
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
ASMR for breast cancer and trends on Crete compared to Sweden over the last decades
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
5-year survival (%) for breast cancer and trends on Crete compared to Sweden during the decades around the millennium
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
10-year survival (%) for breast cancer and trends on Crete compared to Sweden during the decades around the millennium
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lima M, Kehm RD, Terry MB. Global breast cancer incidence and mortality trends by region, age-groups and fertility patterns. EClinicalMedicine. 2021;38:100985. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100985. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. IARC/The International Agency for Research on Cancer. WHO/World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/03-02-2021-breast-cancer-now-most-common-f.... Accessed 13 Mar 2021.
    1. IARC/WHO fact sheet Breast Cancer. 2018. Available from: Latest global cancer data: cancer burden rises to 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million cancer deaths in 2018. Available at: www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/pr263_E.pdf. Accessed 27 Feb 2021.
    1. Heer E, Harper A, Escandor N, Sung H, McCormack V, Fidler-Benaoudia MM. Global burden and trends in premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer: a population-based study. Lancet Glob Health. 2020;8(8):e1027–e1037. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30215-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cancer in Sweden. Regionala Cancercentrum i Samverkan. Register data of prevalence and mortality during the years 1970-2017. 2020. p. 5. Available at: https://cancercentrum.se/globalassets/vara-uppdrag/statistik/cancer_i_sv.... Accessed 10 Sept 2021.