The Burden and Trends of Breast Cancer From 1990 to 2017 at the Global, Regional, and National Levels: Results From the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Data on burden and changing trends of breast cancer are of value for policymaking. We aimed to determine the pattern of breast cancer incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), as well as temporal trends, from 1990 to 2017. Methods: We collected detailed information on breast cancer between 1990 and 2017 using the results of the Global Burden of Disease study. The number of incident cases, deaths, and DALYs attributable to breast cancer are reported as well as age-standardized rates. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in age-standardized rates were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Moreover, the attributable burden to breast cancer risk factors was also estimated. Results: There were 1,960,682 incident cases and 611,625 deaths of breast cancer globally in 2017, contributing to 17,708,600 DALYs. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) increased between 1990 and 2017, while the age-standardized mortality rates and DALY rates decreased. The corresponding EAPCs were 0.41, −0.62, and −0.56, respectively. These trends were heterogeneous across regions and countries. The increase in the ASIRs was more prominent in countries with a low sociodemographic index. The percentages of breast cancer deaths due to alcohol use and tobacco were decreasing, while deaths due to high body mass index and high fasting plasma glucose were increasing. Conclusion: Breast cancer remained a major public health concern globally. The trends of incidence, mortality, and DALYs were heterogeneous across regions and countries, suggesting that the allocation of appropriate health care resources for breast cancer should be considered at the national scale and even at the subnational scale.