Global Breast Cancer Crisis

Once a disease of the Western world, breast cancer has become a global concern. Breast cancer is the most lethal form of cancer for women in the world. An estimated 1 million cases will be identified this year, and about 500,000 new and existing patients will die from breast cancer. In the U.S., breast cancer will be diagnosed in 1 in 8 women. In other emerging economies, breast cancer is a relatively new concern. Previously a malady that mostly afflicted white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer is everywhere. By 2020, 70% of all breast-cancer cases worldwide will be in developing countries. Worse, as the reach of the disease is expanding, the reach of detection and treatment is not. For a woman battling breast cancer in the West, new diagnosis and treatment options come along all the time. Not so elsewhere. In the U.S., an estimated $8.1 billion is spent to diagnose and treat breast cancer each year. In India, half of all women with the disease go entirely without treatment. In South Africa, only 5% of cancers are caught in the earliest phase of the disease. With Westernized life spans, can come Western habits too-fatty foods, lack of exercise and obesity, all of which may raise the incidence of breast cancer. In many parts of the world, breast cancer is still a shameful secret.

In U.S. and Europe the type of breast cancer relies on estrogen to grow but for Asian and black women , breast cancer is more aggressive and relies on estrogen-receptor negative, or ER negative and strike 10 years earlier. There is also of ER-negative cancer called the basal-like subtype, resistant not only to estrogen but also to progesterone. Gene can also cause problems. All that to say that detecting breast cancer in the Asian population may present special difficulties.

If the spread of U.S. and European life-styles is contributing to the breast-cancer boom mainly the eating habits and reproductive habits. Women who give birth to fewer than 2 children have higher risk of developing breast cancer, pregnancy providing a sort of estrogen holiday and lactation preventing cells from becoming cancerous.

Finally, there is the lack of exercise. Studies show that leaner body mass and healthier diet for women cannot hurt. Greater awareness and greater testing are needed to start toward ending the global breast-cancer crisis. A good weight loss program is also
recommended. It is also worth mentioning that cancer dislike an alkaline ph level.