Descriptive epidemiology of female breast cancer around the world: incidence, mortality, and sociodemographic risks and disparities

This review provides descriptive evidence for the potential sociodemographic risk factors of race/ethnicity, younger age, and socioeconomic status, as well as evidence for the immigrant effect in women with breast cancer (BC) across world regions and countries. Using MEDLINE and the Web of Science on epidemiology, incidence/mortality rates, and social determinants, we searched a registry-based dataset and the reference lists of prior reviews of BC women (code C50) from the GLOBOCAN 2022 database and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program 2024. Globally, 1,959,256 new cases (26.7%) and 495,572 deaths (17.7%) were recorded in women aged <75 years in 2022. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of BC was the highest among countries with a very high Human Development Index (ASIR, 70.9), a high HDI (ASIR, 44.4), middle-low levels (ASIR, 33.6-32.5), driven by affluent lifestyles and a higher incidence of infectious diseases and infection-associated cancers. Besides, younger BC women are statistically more likely than older ones to have pathogenic germline variants in BC susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2, TP53, PALB2). The descriptive epidemiology presented in this review should be of global value to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers, considering the implementation and implications of population-based BC screening programs.