On the occasion of Pink October, the League Against Cancer and Yougov produced a new survey on breast cancer.
- Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the chest.
- More than one in two women are unaware of the risks associated with breast cancer, according to a new survey.
- “This state of affairs very probably slows down the attention paid to risk factors and screening actions,” estimates the League against Cancer.
According to a new survey by the League Against Cancer And Yougovnot all French women are clearly informed about breast cancer.
“On the occasion of Pink October, the League Against Cancer warns of a worrying reality: more than one in two women are unaware of the risks linked to breast cancer”, can we read in a press release sent to the editorial staff. “A survey carried out by the League against Cancer in September 2024 among 1,000 women reveals significant gaps in awareness,” the text continues.
Breast cancer: 2 in 3 women (63%) are unaware that alcohol is a risk factor
According to this new work, 53% of French women are unaware of the risks linked to breast cancer. “14.8 million women aged 18 or over have little knowledge of the risks associated with breast cancer and 1.7 million do not know them at all” specifies the League against cancer. “A state of affairs which very probably slows down the attention paid to risk factors and screening actions”estimates the institution.
More specifically, the survey shows that 2 in 3 women (63%) do not know that alcohol is a major risk factor for breast cancer, and 1 in 2 women (49%) do not identify tobacco as a factor. aggravator of breast cancer.
“Among smokers, 1 in 2 (52%) do not know that consume tobacco significantly increases the risk of developing this disease”, add the members of the non-profit institution.
Breast cancer: what are the risk factors?
As a reminder, the risk factors for breast cancer are as follows:
– age (80% of breast cancers develop after age 50);
– personal and family medical history;
– alcohol and tobacco consumption;
– overweight;
– lack of physical activity;
– certain hormonal treatments for menopause;
– genetic predispositions;
– not having breastfed.
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the chest. “There are different types of breast cancer depending on the cells from which they develop,” specifies the League against cancer. “The most common breast cancers (95%) are adenocarcinomas, that is to say they develop from the epithelial cells (= carcinoma) of the mammary gland (= adeno)”, she explains.
In France, 61,214 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in 2023 (+0.3% per year), and 12,600 women died from it in 2021 (-1.3% per year). The median age at breast cancer diagnosis is 64 years, and the standardized 5-year net survival rate for women diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 is 88%.