PETALING JAYA: The number of new breast cancer cases worldwide is projected to cross 3.5 million in 2050, with deaths from the disease expected to increase by 44% to nearly 1.4 million, according to a study. “Despite recent advancements in breast cancer treatments, new breast cancer cases in women are predicted to rise by a third globally from 2.3 million in 2023 to more than 3.5 million in 2050. The findings suggest that maintaining a healthy lifestyle such as not smoking, getting sufficient physical activity, lowering red meat consumption, and having a healthy weight may prevent over a quarter of healthy years lost to illness and premature death due to breast cancer. Co-senior author Dr Marie Ng, an affiliate associate professor at Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington and associate professor at National University of Singapore, said with more than a quarter of the global breast cancer burden being linked to the six modifiable lifestyle changes, there are tremendous opportunities to alter the trajectory of breast cancer risk for the next generation. The new analysis provides an updated global, regional and national analysis of the female breast cancer burden and risk factor estimates from 1990 to 2023 in 204 countries and territories, with forecasts up to 2050.

Source: The Star March 22, 2026 23:06 UTC