A concerning trend has been uncovered by radiologists, showing an “alarming” uptick in late-stage breast cancer diagnoses across all age groups. Between 2004 and 2021, the annual percentage increase in incidence of metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis was highest among women aged 20-39 (2.9%), followed by Native Americans (3.9%) and Asian women (2.9%).
Compared to other age groups, white women saw a smaller uptick (1.7% between 2004 to 2012), while black and Hispanic women experienced modest increases of 0.86% and 1.6%, respectively.
The study’s findings are particularly alarming given that the five-year survival rate for metastatic invasive breast cancer is just 31%. This contrasts sharply with regional invasive (86%) and localized cancer cases (99%).
Researchers attribute the increase to factors such as lack of a national screening program, inconsistent guidelines, rising obesity rates, reproductive trends, environmental factors, and poor access to healthcare. The authors call for more work on identifying groups for screening education and intervention to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage.
The study analyzed data from 71 million to 80 million women annually over a 17-year period, covering about 48% of the US population. Future studies are necessary to better understand these trends and continue analyzing recent trends in metastatic breast cancer incidence and breast cancer mortality rates.
Source: https://radiologybusiness.com/topics/medical-imaging/womens-imaging/radiologists-chart-alarming-uptick-late-stage-breast-cancer-diagnoses-across-all-age-groups