Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, impacting over 1.5 million women each year (500.000 in Europe), and also causes the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women. In 2016, 570,000 women died from breast cancer – that is approximately 15% of all cancer deaths among women. While breast cancer rates are higher among women in more developed regions, rates are increasing in nearly every region globally.

Breast cancer is a disease that has a huge social impact due to the high number of cases, the psychological implications, the relationships and family life, the consequences on the world of work.

There are different biological and environmental factors as: age, having a family history of breast cancer, diet, some hormonal treatments, lifestyles in general.

Mammography screening has changed, over the past 30 years around world, the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to this disease, reducing the number of deaths from breast cancer by up to 30%. It allows to find many more tumors because many more women are involved in prevention programs; it makes most of the tumors detected much more treatable because diagnosed at a very early stage; it has pushed both surgical and medical oncological therapy to find a less invasive and disabling approaches, proportionated to the size of the tumor.

Ultimately, we are witnessing for many years now an evolution in the diagnosis and treatment that will surely lead to a progressively decrease of the mortality rate for this tumor.

Prof. Adriana Bonifacino

Head of Diagnosis and Therapy Unit in Senology

U.O.C. Oncologia

A.O. Sant'Andrea - Roma

Sapienza Università di Roma

To know more about breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment options click here http://www.who.int/cancer/prevention/diagnosis-screening/breast-cancer/en/