Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in Asia and its incidence is rapidly increasing. Information on the incidence and mortality of breast cancer is essential for planning health and more studies. This study aimed to investigate the age-specific incidence and mortality of breast cancer in Asia in 2012. A total of 639,824 cases of breast cancer were recorded in Asian countries, those with the five highest standardized incidence rates being Israel, Lebanon, Armenia, Singapore, and Kazakhstan. The highest number of deaths was observed in India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Japan, respectively. Tith increasing income and improving living standards in developing countries, the incidence of breast cancer increases. This may be due to longer life, higher exposure to risk factors, eating more fatty foods and obesity, and lower pregnancy rates. The variation in incidence rates of breast cancer is very pronounced in Asia (from 80.5 in Israel to 4.6 in Bhuta). A similar situation exists for mortality rates (from 1.8 in Bhutan to 25.2 in Pakistan). © 2016, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention.