Breast cancer has now become the most common type of cancer, which is increasingly affecting women in the urban areas. According to a recent study conducted by the World Health Organisation, factors like late marriage, late childbirth, alcohol, late and low amount breastfeeding have led to an increase in the incidence of cancer. Globally, six lakh people die of cancer every month and 6.3 lakh deaths in India annually occur due to cancer.
Oncologist Dr Namita Pandey from the International Oncology Services at L.H. Hiranandani Hospital said, “Breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer, and has started affecting maximum number of woman in the urban. However, the demographics show that the prevalence of cervical cancer is a trifle more in the rural areas, but in urban India, breast cancer is a killer.” According the WHO’s latest figures, 1,15,251 women suffered from breast cancer and the mortality rate stood at 17.2 per cent. Dr Pandey said that the contributing factors to the steady rise breast cancer are the urban lifestyle for working woman and more importantly ignorance.