Skip to main content

Breast Cancer Epidemiology

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons

Abstract

There is global disparity in the incidence of breast cancer, as well as overall and breast cancer-specific mortality. Generally, there is a greater incidence of breast cancer in the developed world but a greater mortality from breast cancer in the developing world. Within Europe, variation of incidence and mortality are present. This is due to a complex combination of factors including risk factors, limitations of data and much inequality in the methods of breast cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. World Cancer Research Fund International. Breast cancer statistics. 2015. Available at: http://www.wcrf.org/int/cancer-facts-figures/data-specific-cancers/breast-cancer-statistics. 16 June 2016.

  2. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Dikshit R, et al. Cancer incidence and mortality worldwide: sources, methods and major patterns in GLOBOCAN 2012. Int J Cancer. 2015;136:E359–86.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. World Health Organisation. Breast cancer: prevention and control. 2016. Available at: http://who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/index1.html. 16 June 2016.

  4. World Health Organisation. Cancer. 2015. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/. 16 June 2016.

  5. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures 2016. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Canadian Cancer Society. Breast cancer. 2016. Available at: http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/breast/statistics/?region=bc. 16 June 2016.

  7. National Cancer Institute. Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program stat fact sheets: female breast cancer. 2013. Available at: http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html. 16 June 2016.

  8. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, et al. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. 2013. Available at: http://globocan.iarc.fr. 16 June 2016.

  9. Ferlay J, Steliarova-Foucher E, Lortet-Tieulent J, et al. Cancer incidence and mortality patterns in Europe: estimated for 40 countries in 2012. Eur J Cancer. 2013;49(6):1374–403.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sant M, Chirlaque Lopez MD, Agresti R, et al. Survival of women with cancers of breast and genital organs in Europe 1999-2007: results of the EUROCARE-5 study. Eur J Cancer. 2015;pii: S09549-8049(15):00702–9.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bridges JF, Anderson BO, Buzaid AC, et al. Identifying important breast cancer control strategies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East/North Africa. BMC Health Serv Res. 2011;11:227.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. American Cancer Society. Cancer in Africa. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Breastcancer.org. U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics. 2016. Available at: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics. 10 Oct 2016.

  14. Cancer Research UK. Breast cancer statistics. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer#heading-Two. 16 June 2016.

  15. Bray F, McCarron P, Parkin DM. The changing global patterns of female breast cancer incidence and mortality. Breast Cancer Res. 2004;6(6):229–39.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Nagata C, Kawakami N, Shimizu H. Trends in the incidence rate and risk factors for breast cancer in Japan. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1997;44(1):75–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wakai K, Suzuki S, Ohno Y, Kawamura T, Tamakoshi A, Aoki R. Epidemiology of breast cancer in Japan. Int J Epidemiol. 1995;24(2):285–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Minami Y, Tsubono Y, Nishino Y, Ohuchi N, Shibuya D, Hisamichi S. The increase of female breast cancer incidence in Japan: emergence of birth cohort effect. Int J Cancer. 2004;108(6):901–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. John EM, Phipps AI, Davis A, Koo J. Migration history, acculturation, and breast cancer risk in Hispanic women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2005;14(12):2905–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ziegler RG, Hoover RN, Pike MC, et al. Migration patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian-American women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;85:1819–27.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kliwer EV, Smith KR. Breast cancer mortality among immigrants in Australia and Canada. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995;87(15):1154–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. American Cancer Society. Breast cancer: what are the risk factors for breast cancer?. 2016. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors. 16 June 2016.

  23. Breastcancer.org. Risk of Developing Breast Cancer. 2016. Available at: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/risk/understanding. 16th June 2016.

  24. Singletary SA. Rating the risk factors for breast cancer. Ann Surg. 2003;237(4):474–82.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Easton DF, Bishop DT, Ford D, et al. Breast and ovarian cancer incidence in BRCA1-mutation carriers. Am J Hum Genet. 1995;56:265–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Cancer.net. Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer. 2015. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Available at: http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/hereditary-breast-and-ovarian-cancer. 16 June 2016.

  27. Cancer Research UK. Breast cancer risk factors. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/breast-cancer/risk-factors#heading-Seventeen. 16 June 2016.

  28. American Cancer Society. Summary of breast conditions that affect breast cancer risk. 2016. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/healthy/findcancerearly/womenshealth/non-cancerousbreastconditions/non-cancerous-breast-conditions-benign-br-cond-and-br-cancer-risk. 16 June 2016.

  29. Buckley E, Sullivan T, Farshid G, Hiller J, Roder D. Risk profile of breast cancer following atypical hyperplasia detected through organized screening. Breast. 2015;24(3):208–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Pharoah PD, Day NE, Duffy S, et al. Family history and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cancer. 1997;71(5):800–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Henderson TO, Amsterdam A, Bhatia S, et al. Systematic review: surveillance for breast cancer in women treatment with chest radiation for childhood, adolescent, or young adult cancer. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152(7):444–55.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Tieu MT, Cigsar C, Ahmed S, et al. Breast cancer detection among young survivors of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma with screening magnetic resonance imaging. Cancer. 2014;120(16):2507–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Rajaraman P, Doody MM, Yu CL, et al. Cancer risks in U.S. radiologic technologists working with fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures, 1994-2008. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2016;206(5):1101–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Miglioretti DL, Lange J, van den Broek JJ, et al. Radiation-induced breast cancer incidence and mortality from digital mammography screening: a modeling study. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164(4):205–14.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Haffty BG, Lee C. Exposure to diagnostic levels of radiation prior to age 30 increases the risk of breast cancer in BRCA 1 /2 carriers. Evid Based Med. 2013;18(4):e40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Cancer Research UK. Definite breast cancer risks. 2014. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/breast-cancer/about/risks/definite-breast-cancer-risks#history. 16 June 2016.

  37. Dyrstad SW, Yan Y, Fowler AM, Colditz GA. Breast cancer risk associated with benign breast disease: systematic review and meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2015;149(3):569–75.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer Collaborative Group. Circulating sex hormones and breast cancer risk factors in postmenopausal women: reanalysis of 13 studies. Br J Cancer. 2011;105(5):709–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer. Menarche, menopause, and breast cancer risk: individual participant meta-analysis, including 118 964 women with breast cancer from 117 epidemiological studies. Lancet Oncol. 2012;13(11):1141–51.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Britt K, Ashworth A, Smalley M. Pregnancy and the risk of breast cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2007;14(4):907–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Trichopoulos D, Hsieh CC, MacMahon B, Lin TM, Lowe CR, Mirra AP, et al. Age at any birth and breast cancer risk. Int J Cancer. 1983;31:701–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Althuis MD, Fergenbaum JH, Garcia-Closas M, Brinton LA, Madigan MP, Sherman ME. Etiology of hormone receptor-defined breast cancer: a systematic review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2004;13(10):1558–68.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Sisti JS, Bernstein JL, Lynch CF, et al. Reproductive factors, tumor estrogen receptor status and contralateral breast cancer risk: results from the WECARE study. Spring. 2015;4:825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Ambrosone CB, Zirpoli G, Ruszczyk M, Shankar J, Hong CC, McIlwain D, et al. Parity and breastfeeding among African-American women: differential effects on breast cancer risk by estrogen receptor status in the Women’s circle of health study. Cancer Causes Control. 2014;25:259–65.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Stendell-Hollis NR, Thompson PA, Thomson CA, O’Sullivan MJ, Ray RM, Chlebowski RT. Investigating the association of lactation history and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in the Women’s health Initiative. Nutr Cancer. 2013;65(7):969–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Freudenheim JL, Marshall JR, Vena JE, et al. Lactation history and breast cancer risk. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;146(11):932–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL, et al. Risk and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women’s health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Beral V, Million Women Study Collaborators. Breast cancer and hormone-replacement therapy in the million women study. Lancet. 2003;362(9382):419.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Zhu H, Lei X, Feng J, Wang Y. Oral contraceptive use and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2012;17(6):402–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Moorman PG, Havrilesky LJ, Gierisch JM, et al. Oral contraceptives and risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer among high-risk women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2013;31(33):4188–98.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Kossman DA, Williams NI, Domchek SM, Kurzer MS, Stopfer JE, Schmitz KH. Exercise lowers estrogen and progesterone levels in premenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer. J Appl Physiol. 2011;11(6):1687–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Smith AJ, Phipps WR, Thomas W, Schmitz KH, Kurzer MS. The effects of aerobic exercise on estrogen metabolism in health premenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2013;22(5):756–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Pizot C, Boniol M, Mullie P, et al. Physical activity, hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Cancer. 2016;52:138–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Chlebowski RT. Nutrition and physical activity influence on breast cancer incidence and outcome. Breast. 2013;22(Suppl 2):S30–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Prentice RL, Caan B, Chlebowski RT, et al. Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of invasive breast cancer: the Women’s health Initiative randomized controlled dietary modification trial. JAMA. 2006;295(6):629–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Link LB, Canchola AH, Bernstein L, et al. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in the California teachers study cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98(6):1524–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Tretli S. Height and weight in relation to breast cancer morbidity and mortality. A prospective study of 570,000 women in Norway. Int J Cancer. 1989;44:23–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Baan R, Straif K, Grosse Y, et al. Carcinogenicity of alcoholic beverages. Lancet Oncol. 2007;8(4):292–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Arnold M, Freisling H, Stolzenberg-Solomon R, et al. Overweight duration in older adults and cancer risk: a study of cohorts in Europe and the United States. Eur J Epidemiol. 2016;31. (Epub ahead of print).

    Google Scholar 

  60. Cheraghi Z, Poorolajal J, Hashem T, Esmailnasab N, Irani AD. Effect of body mass index on breast cancer during premenopausal and postmenopausal periods: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e51446.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  61. Ligibel JA, Strickler HD. Obesity and its impact on breast cancer: tumor incidence, recurrence, survival, and possible interventions. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2013;33:52–9.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Nagrani R, Mhatre S, Rajaraman P, et al. Central obesity increases risk of breast cancer irrespective of menopausal and hormonal receptor status in women of south Asian ethnicity. Eur J Cancer. 2016;66:153–61.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  63. Hamajima N, Hirose K, Tajima K, et al. Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer – collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58,515 women with breast cancer and 95,067 women without the disease. Br J Cancer. 2002;87(11):1234–45.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Allen NE, Beral V, Casabonne D, et al. Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101(5):296–305.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  65. Olsen CM, Wilson LF, Nagle CM, et al. Cancers in Australia in 2010 attributable to insufficient physical activity. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2015;39(5):458–63.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Pfizer Medical Division. The Burden of cancer in Asia, 2008. USA.

    Google Scholar 

  67. Fan L, Goss PE, Strasser-Weippl K. Current status and future projections of breast cancer in Asia. Breast Care (Basel). 2015;10(6):372–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M et al. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. 2013. Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr. 11 Oct 2016.

  69. Allemani C, Minicozzi P, Berrino F, et al. Predictions of survival up to 10 years after diagnosis for European women with breast cancer in 2000-2002. Int J Cancer. 2013;132(1):2404–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. De Angelis R, Sant M, Coleman MP, et al. Cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007 by county and age: results of EUROCARE-5 – a population-based study. Lancet Oncol. 2014;15(1):23–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Sant M, Chirlaque Lopez MD, Agresti R, et al. Survival of women with cancer of breast and genital organs in Europe 1999-2007: results of the EUROCARE-5 study. Eur J Cancer. 2015;15 (Epub ahead of print).

    Google Scholar 

  72. Sankaranarayanan R, Swaminathan R, Brenner H, et al. Cancer survival in Africa, Asia, and Central America: a population-based study. Lancet Oncol. 2012;11(2):165–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. European Commission. What is Horizon 2020? Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/what-horizon-2020. 16 June 2016.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. L. Cheung MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Parks, R.M., Derks, M.G.M., Bastiaannet, E., Cheung, K.L. (2018). Breast Cancer Epidemiology. In: Wyld, L., Markopoulos, C., Leidenius, M., Senkus-Konefka, E. (eds) Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56673-3_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56673-3_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56671-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56673-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics