Breast cancer awareness month

Breast cancer in the world

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is the month to spread awareness and raise attention to this severe disorder. Despite all great progress made in breast cancer detection and treatment in last few decades, this disease stays a growing global health threat to humanity. The infographic points out the key figures about breast cancer.

Breast cancer: common and rapidly spreading

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women. 1 in 8 women will develop this disease during their life. Having reached 2,09 new cases in 2018, the breast cancer burden is expected to rise significantly in the future.

The International Agency for Research on cancer predicts that the number of breast cancer cases will grow by 63% worldwide by 2040. Population growth and aging as well as certain causes linked to social and economic development, contribute in cancer burden increase.

Disparities in the world

Breast cancer incidence, mortality and survival rates vary greatly in the world. Thus, European countries have the highest breast cancer incidence rate. For instance,  Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, France and Lebanon are in the top of the list.  Meanwhile, African countries show the highest mortality rates for this disease.

Cyprus, the United States, Brazil, Mauritius and France have the highest survival breast cancer rates. On the contrary, less developed countries show lower survival rates. This is due to the lack of early detection programs and adequate treatment facilities.

Early diagnosis saves lives

Importantly, breast cancer is easier to be treated successfully if it was found early. Screening mammography is one of the most common methods in its detection. A report from the American National Cancer Institute affirmed that regular mammography screening significantly contributed to the decline of breast cancer mortality in the USA. It reduced the number of deaths from by nearly 40 percent since 1990. A Harward study equally confirmed the importance of screening. 70 percent of women who died from breast cancer in their forties at major Harvard teaching hospitals were among the 20 percent of women not being screened.

Therapixel participates in breast cancer fight

Therapixel is committed to improving breast cancer detection efficiency. We develop an algorithm that reads digital mammograms to detect and qualify abnormal tissue whether they are likely to be cancerous. We believe that early screening can save lives.