TUESDAY, March 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Female breast cancer incidence is stable and mortality is declining in high-income countries, while it is increasing in low-income countries, according to research published online March 2 in The Lancet Oncology.
Kayleigh Bhangdia, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, and colleagues estimated breast cancer incidence, mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.
The researchers found that among women globally, there were an estimated 2.30 million breast cancer incident cases, 764,000 deaths, and 24.1 million DALYs in 2023. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was highest in the World Bank low-income group (24.1 per 100,000 person-years), where a low age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) was estimated (44.2 per 100,000). The high-income group had the highest ASIR (75.7 per 100,000), while the upper-middle-income group had the lowest ASMR (11.2 per 100,000). Between 1990 and 2023, the ASIR increased by 147.2 percent in the low-income group compared with a 1.2 percent change in the high-income group. The ASMR changed by −29.9 percent in the high-income group and increased by 99.3 percent in the low-income group. In 2023, risk factors, including dietary risks, tobacco use, and high fasting plasma glucose, contributed to 28.3 percent of breast cancer DALYs. The global incident cases of breast cancer among women are forecast to reach 3.56 million by 2050, with 1.37 million deaths.
"The mounting burden of breast cancer is shifting to low- and lower-middle-income countries where individuals often face later-stage diagnosis, more limited access to quality care, and higher death rates that are threatening to eclipse progress in women's health," Bhangdia said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.