Breast Cancer Statistics: India versus The World

Comparison of Global Statistics from Globocan 2018

STATISTICS OF BREAST CANCER IN INDIA: GLOBAL COMPARISON

This topic focuses on comparison of statistics of breast cancer in India, with statistics in US and China. I have selected US and China, as they represent two different population features compared to India. US represents the best of Healthcare and a primed population, with high levels of breast cancer awareness amongst the lay man. China is mid way, has a reasonably good healthcare; and medium levels of breast cancer awareness (not too good, not too bad). India, when it comes to Healthcare and Awareness, is unfortunately, at the lower end of the spectrum - Good healthcare concentrated presently in tier 1 and tier 2 cities and when it comes to breast cancer awareness- dismal levels. The statistics on this page will tell you how these factors influence the outcome. All the images that you see below are from Globocan.


Breast Cancer Worldwide


First things first. The chart shows the world wide incidence of breast cancer in females. The chart has different cancers coded with colors. Breast Cancer is coded with 'pink' color. It is clear that Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in females worldwide. An estimated 20.8 lakh women were detected with breast cancer in the year 2018, all ovr the world. And breast cancer accounted for about 24.2% of all cancers in women. That makes it near one in a four - one in every four cancers in women was breast cancer.

Global Breast Cancer Chart

Comparison 01: INDIA v/s CHINA v/s US

Represented below are charts from Globocan 2018, for US, India and China. Have a look at the chart. There are two color bars in the chart for each cancer - upper one is blue and represents incidence and lower one is red and represents mortality.


Breast Cancer in US

Breast Cancer Statistics (2018) from the US

In the United States, for the year 2018:

  • 234,087 women were newly detected with Breast Cancer

  • 41,904 women died of Breast Cancer

  • For the year 2018, ratio of newly detected breast cancer cases in US, to those who died due to it is 234087 / 41904 = 5.59.

  • For the year 2012, the ratio was 232714 / 43909 = 5.29 (Globocan 2012 data)

  • So, roughly, in the US, for every five or six women newly detected with breast cancer, one woman is dying of it.

Breast Cancer in China

Breast Cancer Statistics (2018) from China

In China, for the year 2018:

  • 367,900 women were newly detected with Breast Cancer

  • 97,972 women died of Breast Cancer

  • For the year 2018, ratio of newly detected breast cancer cases in China, to those who died due to it is 367900 / 97972 = 3.75.

  • For the year 2012, the ratio was 187213 / 47984 = 3.90 (Globocan 2012 data)

  • So, roughly, in China, for every four women newly detected with breast cancer, one woman is dying of it.

Breast Cancer in India

Breast Cancer Statistics (2018) from India

In India, for the year 2018:

  • 162,468 women were newly detected with Breast Cancer

  • 87,090 women died of Breast Cancer

  • For the year 2018, ratio of newly detected breast cancer cases in India, to those who died due to it is 162468 / 87090 = 1.87.

  • For the year 2012, the ratio was 144937 / 70218 = 2.06 (Globocan 2012 data)

  • So, roughly, in India, for every two women newly detected with breast cancer, one woman is dying of it.

Discussion

These ratios are definitely not the best way of assessing a country's breast cancer scenario (they are rather crude), but then, they definitely give a rough idea on how the country is coping up with breast cancer, especially if we compare Globocan data over a number of years and see if the ratio is changing. If you compare these three countries, you can easily make out that India has the worst ratio of women dying of breast cancer - for every second woman detected with breast cancer, one may not get cured and succumb to the cancer. I wish to mention again, this ratio is a crude assessment, but if you see the numbers of Globocan 2012 and Globocan 2018, you will realize that it is relatively constant.

What the United States has achieved today (a decrease in deaths due to breast cancer, even with an increase in numbers of women newly detected with breast cancer) has taken several decades of untiring, persistent efforts. And they started that, when their death rate was not so high at all. So, for India, with a death rate of 87,000 and ever increasing, even if we start today, positive results will start showing not before the next 10 to 15 years at least, optimistically. We can easily ask ourselves a question - In India, why can't we have a ratio like the US? Why can't we also have one woman dying for every 5 or 6 new cases like US, instead of 2 in India. That can happen only, only and only if we reduce the death rate of breast cancer in India.

Why exactly this high death rate in India? Because, India has more patients coming up in advanced stages and they do not survive long irrespective of the best treatment they get, hence the mortality is fairly high. There are lots of reasons for late presentations including lack of awareness, shyness on part of patients, social stigma, staunch belief in alternate treatments, financial issues, lack of availability of cancer care centres and sometimes even ignorance of general doctors (who may not be aware of symptoms of breast cancer and hence miss it), and many other causes.

Comparison 02: 2008 v/s 2012 v/s 2018


Statistics of Breast Cancer in India in 2008

Globocan 2008: Cancer in Women in India

In the adjoining graph, which shows all cancers in women in India for the year 2008, we can clearly make out the following points:

  • Cancer of the Cervix Uteri was the most common cancer then, with 134,420 cases in that year.

  • Breast Cancer was the second most common cancer in women, with 115,251 cases for that year.

Statistics of Breast Cancer in India in 2012

Globocan 2012: Cancer in Women in India

The adjoining graph shows all cancers in women in India for the year 2012 (Data from Globocan 2012), and we can clearly make out the following points:

  • Breast Cancer now became the most common cancer in women in India, with 144,937 cases for that year.

  • Cancer of the Cervix Uteri now came down to the second spot (second most common cancer in women in India), with 122,844 cases for that year. In fact, the numbers of cases of cervical cancer started reducing as compared to 2008 data.

Statistics ofBreast Cancer in India in 2018

Globocan 2018: Cancer in Women in India

The adjoining graph shows all cancers in women in India for the year 2018 (Data from Globocan 2018), and we can clearly make out the following points:

  • Breast Cancer remains the most common cancer in women in India. The numbers have gone up further - 162,468 women in India were newly detected with breast cancer in 2018.

  • Cancer of the Cervix Uteri remains the second most common cancer in women in India. But the numbers have gone down further - 96,922 women in India were newly detected with Cervical Cancer in 2018.

Discussion

For decades together, cervical cancer (Cancer of the Cervix Uteri) was the most common cancer in women in India and more deaths in women in India were attributed to cervical cancer than any other cancer. This was the scene for almost 4 decades (or more), till about 2010. But over last ten years or so, breast cancer has been rising rather rapidly, and over the last decade, breast cancer is and has been the most common cancer in women in India, way ahead of cervical cancer. Both, the numbers of women newly detected with breast cancer and the numbers of women dying due to breast cancer, are more than cervical cancer. Part of it is due to an actual decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer. But most of it, will be because of rapid rise in the numbers of breast cancer cases.

A MESSAGE - LOUD AND CLEAR

So what do we learn from all the charts above? It is amply clear that Breast Cancer is the Most Common Cancer in women in India and we can see it rise rapidly over last ten years. The numbers of deaths due to Breast Cancer are rising in proportion to new cases and are just not decreasing (For western nations, they are showing a decresing trend). We really need focus on that. Many analysts will point out that, the number of women per 100000 women in India, developing breast cancer is less than Western countries and the numbers of those dying of it (per one lakh population) is also less. But to me, that doesnt stand. Just cut off all statistics, the total population, the percentages, the ratio, everything, and focus only on one number - 87090 deaths due to BC in 2018. Just think, could we have done something, so that the number of women dying could have been lesser? And the answer is a loud and resounding 'YES'. We very well know, a large proportion of women come in advanced stages - this is where we could have made the difference. Had at least 2/3rds of those women with advanced breast cancer came in earlier stages (which is very much possible, and most wertern nations have achieved it), we could have very well reduced the numbers of deaths by maybe atleast 10000 or 20000, who knows. So I am sure, you all know, where India needs to focus its energy - Early Detection of Breast Cancer.

Only and ONLY with early detection of Breast Cancer, can we achieve a longer survival. And to make people aware of this early detection, it is going to need a lot of efforts, especially, since Indian society is so deep rooted in myths and alternative treatment and unusual illogical beliefs. It will take a lot of time to reverse this and to get people on track. And the time is NOW. Presently, India already has one of the worst survivals from breast cancer in the world (as you already saw from the numbers above) and India ranks number one in the numbers of healthy life years lost (DALY - Disability Adjusted Life Years) due to breast cancer. India needs to act!