Arabic version: البحث يربط خيارات نمط الحياة بتأثير صحة سرطان الثدي
A recent global study reveals that more than a quarter of healthy years lost to breast cancer can be attributed to lifestyle factors such as high red meat consumption and smoking. The research, published in the Lancet Oncology, analyzed data from population-based cancer registries spanning from 1990 to 2023 across over 200 countries.
According to The Guardian, the study forecasts a significant rise in new breast cancer cases, predicting an increase from 2.3 million in 2023 to over 3.5 million by 2050. In the UK, about one in seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
The findings highlight that maintaining a healthy lifestyle—by avoiding smoking, engaging in regular physical activity, reducing red meat intake, and achieving a healthy body mass index (BMI)—could prevent more than a quarter of healthy years lost to breast cancer globally. The research echoes earlier findings by Cancer Research UK, which indicated that over four in ten cancer cases in the UK are preventable through lifestyle changes.
Kayleigh Bhangdia, lead author of the study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, emphasized the shifting burden of breast cancer, particularly affecting low- and lower-middle-income countries where access to timely diagnosis and quality care is limited.
The analysis also noted that in 2023, women aged 55 and older were diagnosed with breast cancer at three times the rate of those aged 20-54 (161 cases per 100,000 women, compared with 50). However, the incidence rate for younger women has surged by nearly 29% since 1990, underscoring the need for continued focus on prevention and lifestyle modifications to combat the disease effectively.
