World Cancer Day 2023: More middle-aged Indian women prone to breast cancer

Instances of women below 35 years falling prey to breast cancer are on a steady rise in India say experts who attribute the trend to obesity and sedentary lifestyle The medical fraternity across the country has undertaken a campaign to create awareness about the deadly disease as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness observed every OctoberDr Niti Raizada Director Medical Oncology and HematoOncology Fortis Group of Hospitals Bangalore told IANS that according to data from GloboCan 2020 a total of 178 lakh women in India are diagnosed with breast cancer annually from GloboCan 2020However unlike the west where cancer is more frequently observed in women over the 55 years our country also has women in the age range of 35 to 50 years who are the extremely prevalent age group of breast cancer she addedDr Vipin Goel Senior Consultant and Laparoscopic Surgeon Surgical Oncology CARE Hospitals Group explained that women developing breast cancer at a much younger age compared to others is because of these genes On the other hand an important cause of breast cancer is a sedentary lifestyle mainly a lack of exercise and poor diet obesityUnderlining that breast cancer can be prevented he said the primary measure is to remove the risk factors by improving the lifestyle This includes enough physical exercise avoiding smoking and drinking and a balanced dietA few years ago cervical cancer was the number one cancer among the female population in India This was due to poor hygiene and human papillomavirus The incidence of cervical cancer is decreasing Now breast cancer has replaced cervical cancer as the number one cancer in females in IndiaThe incidence of Breast cancer in young people is showing an increasing trend Ten years ago we saw one to three cases in 100 breast cancer cases below the age of 35 years Now we see around eight to ten in 100 cases below the age of 35 years Dr Goel statedHe further explained that the cause for the increase can be both hereditary and nonhereditary Around 1020 per cent of breast cancer cases in the world are hereditary because of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes present in peopleThe secondary measure for preventing Breast cancer is going for screening and tests A mammogram is one of the simplest tests to determine lumps in the breasts It is advised to get a screening done once a year after the age of 40 years If the cancer is caught in an early stage as stage I the chances of survival and cure are almost 95 per cent he explainedIt is critical to address these issues in order to effectively treat younger women with the life threatening disease Although breast cancer is a risk for all women certain factors can raise the likelihood that a woman will get the disease before age 45 The first step in determining your risk is to determine what factors increase the likelihood of developing breast cancerKnowing the symptoms of breast cancer might also help you determine when to consult a doctor he underlinesOn a similar note Dr Amit Rauthan HOD and Consultant Medical Oncology Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road stated that the rising incidence of breast cancer in younger women is because they are in their prime and busy juggling both work and the home frontWhile some are young unmarried females some have small children and others have families to take care of Their diagnosis affects them and their family life tremendously he addedThough the exact cause is not known it is possibly a mix of environmental dietary and lifestyle factors About 15 per cent of young females have hereditary breast cancer Dr Rauthan statedThe biology of breast cancer in younger females is more aggressive and they tend to have a higher stage at diagnosis and a higher incidence of the aggressive triple negative subtype he explainedManagement of breast cancer requires a multimodality approach using surgery chemotherapy radiotherapy and hormonal therapy Special issues which need to be considered in young females relate to fertility marriage sex nursing and long term implications he saysSpecial consideration is required as fertility preservation needs to be planned during their treatment Chemotherapy is known to affect fertility and so special techniques are used for fertility preservationThis may be in the form of embryo or ovary cryopreservation before starting chemotherapy or in the form of special hormonal injections given during chemotherapy to preserve the ovarian function During surgery emphasis is given to breast conservation surgery which not only improves cosmesis but gives a lot of psychological advantage for females Dr Rauthan explainedBetter understanding of breast cancer biology in younger women is leading to improved outcomes with a good quality of life Integration of newer modalities like immunotherapy and targeted therapies are also paving a way for better long term survival he addedDr Niti Raizada explains that breast cancer in young could also have some hereditary factors related and triplenegative and HER2positive breast cancer are frequently found in younger womenAdditionally these variants are a very aggressive variety that needs more intensive monitoring and treatment These women also have fertility issues because the majority of them either want to complete their families or are undergoing IVF treatment she saidIt is critical to address these issues in order to effectively treat younger women with breast cancer Although breast cancer is a risk for all women certain factors can raise the likelihood that a woman will get the disease before age 45 as per Dr RaizadaKnowing the symptoms of breast cancer might also help one determine when to consult a doctor she saidAlso read Real cancer cases estimated to be 3 times higher than reported in India ReportThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter 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