Did you know?

Breast cancer incidence rates vary greatly across the globe. According to the World Health Organization, 19.3 per 100,000 women in Eastern Africa are diagnosed with breast cancer, while that number is nearly five times greater (89.7 per 100,000 women) in Western Europe. So what’s the reason behind that disparity? While a host of factors, including family history, can contribute to a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer, incidence rates in places like Eastern Africa could be so low due to less awareness of the disease in such countries, where education about the importance of breast cancer screening might not be as big a priority as it is in other countries, including the United States. As a result, many incidents of breast cancer in less developed countries may go unreported and, ultimately, untreated. Emphasizing efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer may lead to higher incidence rates in less developed countries, but those same efforts also may compel more women to receive potentially lifesaving breast cancer screenings.