DELHI, NEW DELHI: According to specialists at a private hospital here on Friday, there has been a 50% increase in middle-aged women (aged 35-50 years) reporting cases of breast cancer in India over the previous three years. The figures are based on doctor’s OPD data, according to a statement from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. In a statement, Dr Ramesh Sarin, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncologist at the hospital, stated, “Based on our data from the last three years, we have seen that 50% of women reporting breast cancer and associated indications were between the ages of 35 and 50 years.”

“With our hospital-based consultation data for breast cancer, we observed that although 53% of the reported instances are in the early stages of cancer, 47% are in the advanced stages of cancer, with a total of 20% in stage 4 and 27% in stage 3 disease,” he said. Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in women, accounting for over 30% of all cancer cases recorded in women. One in every 20 women is diagnosed with this illness due to a lack of information and a reluctance to seek preventative treatment.

“We need to increase the detection up to 70-80 per cent in early stages of cancer by making women aware of the early signs and symptoms of breast cancer for achieving a better cure rate with proper management of the disease.” The reasons for early age could be faulty genes inherited from parents or a history of breast or ovarian cancers in a close family. Certain lifestyle choices also contribute towards the risk of developing breast cancer in young women such as the limited or lower amount of physical activity and increasing obesity and smoking.

Excessive consumption of alcohol and oral contraceptives also has a debatable association with increased risk of breast cancer in younger women. As a reason, women are highly advised to be watchful towards their sedentary lifestyle patterns and any newly observant signs of breast cancer like a lump, discharge or discoloration of breasts, the doctor said.