Urban women in 50s prone to breast cancer

Urban women in 50s prone to breast cancer

Debunking the popular belief that the incidence of breast cancer is rising among India's younger women, doctors from Indian's premier cancer hospital in Parel say the typical patient is, more often than not, in her 50s and lives in an urban area.

"We have conducted a 20-year analysis of breast cancer rates among the Indian population and found that while the rate of breast cancer is definitely increasing among Indian women, it is mainly among menopausal women who are in their 50s," said Tata Memorial Hospital's director Dr Rajendra Badwe, who along with colleague Dr Rajesh Dikshit, authored a study published in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology in August.

While cancer occurs among younger women as well, the doctor pointed out that there was almost a tripling of cases among 50-plus women in the last two decades. "We found the breast cancer incidence had increased significantly—rising by 1.6% annually—among older women who were over 50 years of age while there was a 1% corresponding increase among younger women," said Dr Dikshit.

Unlike in the west, cancer rates in India are relatively lower. A study by Dr Preet Dhillon for Public Health Foundation of India said the age-standardized incidence rate for breast cancer in India is 22.9 per 100,000, one-third that of western countries (66.4). But experts say rapid urbanization is changing the picture of breast cancer incidence across India.

An urbanized state like Punjab has higher incidence of breast cancer than, say, Uttar Pradesh. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat are more urbanized and hence, have a higher incidence of breast cancer. "Urbanization affects breast cancer rate in three ways: The age of bearing the first child among urban women is higher, women here breast feed children for a shorter duration than in rural areas and, thirdly, an urban population is usually more overweight or obese," said Dr Badwe.

The rural-urban divide is most telling in Barshi near Solapur, said Dr Dikshit. The women living in Barshi town have a higher incidence of breast cancer in comparison to their counterparts in Barshi village. "And, the two places are barely 30 km apart," he added.

Doctors, however, say that all isn't dismal with respect to breast cancer, which is the most common cancer in India. "There is a rise in the awareness level, which is resulting in early detection of breast cancers. If the average size of tumour in 1975 was 6.5 cm, it is 2.5 cm now," said Dr Badwe, himself a breast cancer surgeon.