1 in 7

new CASeS OF BreASt CAnCer per 100,000 women*

DeAthS CAuSeD By BreASt CAnCerper 100,000 women*

2020 new cases (incidence) and deaths (mortality) estimates

100.0 - 118.8118.8 - 137.6

137.6 - 156.4156.4 - 175.2

175.2 - 194.0

23.8 - 28.928.9 - 34.0

34.0 - 39.139.1 - 44.2

44.2 - 49.3

*Age-standardised rate (European new) per 100,000 *Age-standardised rate (European new) per 100,000

Breast cancer burden in EU-27

Source: ECIS – European Cancer Information System

https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu accessed 15/10/2020

©European Union, 2020

355,457 91,826

Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that has developed from cells in the breast. It usually begins either in the cells of the lobules (the milk-producing glands) or in the ducts that drain the milk from the lobules to the nipple. Less commonly, breast cancer can begin in the stromal tissues, which include the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast.

It is estimated that breast cancer accounts for 13.3% of all new cancer cases diagnosed in EU-27 countries in 2020. This makes it the most frequently occuring cancer. It is estimated that it accounts for 28.7% of all new cancers in women.

lifetime risk (ages 0-74) of developing breast cancer

newcases deaths

JointResearchCentre

100

50

150

200

Year

Incidence – all ages, per 100,000 women

2000

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

200620

0720

0820

0920

1020

1120

1220

1320

1420

0019

9419

9519

9619

9719

9819

9920

0120

0220

0320

0420

0520

0620

0720

0820

0920

1020

1120

1220

1320

14

250

•Breast cancer is estimated to be the most diagnosed tumour among all cancer types and the first cause of cancer death among women in 2020.

•Estimated breast cancer incidence and mortality rates in 2020 vary two-fold across EU-27.

•Incidence trends in the EU-27 are mainly increasing. Multiple factors explain these changes, including reproductive factors, increasing obesity and physical inactivity as well as increased screening intensity.

•Mortality trends in the EU-27 tend to be in decline. This is mainly due to effective treatment and tools for detecting the disease at early stages.

•The five-year survival of breast cancer patients diagnosed in 2000-2007 is highest in Northern and Western Europe and lowest in Eastern Europe. National differences can in part be explained by varying levels of healthcare expenditure and resulting quality of diagnosis and treatment.

Year

tempOrAl trenDS – SeleCteD exAmpleS FrOm eurOpeAn COuntrIeS AnD regIOnS

BreASt CAnCer SurVIVAlAges >15, cancers diagnosed in 2000-2007Percentage of patients who survived at least 5 years after diagnosis

eStImAteD DIStrIButIOn OF new CASeS OF BreASt CAnCer In 2020 – By Age grOup

The Netherlands IT RomagnaDenmark DenmarkSlovenia The NetherlandsBulgaria Czech Republic

Finland FranceSweden

Italy

Belgium

Germany

The Netherlands

Spain

IrelandSlovenia

Slovakia

Estonia

Poland

Portugal

AustriaDenmarkMalta

Czech Republic

Croatia

Bulgaria

LithuaniaLatvia

Grateful acknowledgement is given to the European cancer registries as the data source for the indicators reported in the

european Cancer Information System (eCIS).

This factsheet reports information from ECIS.

For details, please visit: https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu

or scan this QR code:

https://cancer-code-europe.iarc.fr

In collaboration with IARC, IACR, and EUROCARE

mortality – all ages, per 100,000 women

Age-

stan

dard

ised

rate

(Eur

opea

n st

anda

rd p

opu-

latio

n, 20

13) —

new

cas

es p

er 1

00,0

00 w

omen

Age-

stan

dard

ised

rate

(Eur

opea

n st

anda

rd p

opu-

latio

n, 20

13) —

new

cas

es p

er 1

00,0

00 w

omen

30

40

50

60

20

70

The examples (one from each European region: Central and Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western) are selected from available incidence and mortality time series of at least 20 years, from the ECIS web application (https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu)

9 cases0-19 20-44 45-69 70+

191,955 cases 122,880 cases40,613 cases

hIghlIghtS