Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related disease and death in females worldwide, with a new global study in The Lancet Oncology reporting that there were around 2.3 million breast cancer cases and 764,000 breast cancer deaths worldwide in 2023. This resulted in around 24 million years of healthy life lost due to illness and early mortality around the world.
The report, part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 , highlights some encouraging trends, with breast cancer incidence stable and mortality decreasing in higher-income countries. However, in other regions both incidence and mortality are increasing.
The authors suggest that this further exacerbates health inequalities around the world. Claire Rowney , chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, who was not involved in this research, told Medical News Today that: “This new global study is a stark reminder that breast cancer is a disease that continues to take and rip apart far too many lives, not just here [in the United Kingdom] but around the world.
Breast cancer survival rates in the U.K.
Medical News Today published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 03 Mar 2026.
The item focuses on 28% of breast cancer cases linked to 6 modifiable risk factors, experts say.
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