Published in Nature Medicine, the study found that, on average, one in 20 women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and, by 2050, there will be 3.2 million new breast cancer cases and 1.1 million breast cancer-related deaths per year if current trends continue.
Data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organisation, forecasts a 21 per cent rise in breast cancer cases and a 42 per cent increase in fatalities over the next three decades.
IARC scientist Dr Joanne Kim, one of the authors of the report, said countries needed to work on preventing cancer as well as investing in early cancer detection and treatment.
It's estimated that nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of breast cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
She added: “Every minute, four women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and one woman dies from the disease, and these statistics are worsening.”.
