Incidence of breast cancer in Bengaluru, which was the third highest in the country after Hyderabad and Chennai till last year, jumped to the second highest at 40.5 per lakh (age-adjusted rate — AAR) this year. The highest incidence is in Chennai at 42.2 per lakh.
This is a huge increase in Bengaluru when compared with the AAR of 15 per lakh in 1982, according to Karnataka’s Population-based Cancer Registry (PBCR). October is observed as breast cancer awareness month.
Doctors said breast cancer is the first and most common cancer in women in India and accounts for 25% to 32% of all cancers in women in Indian cities (as per Urban Population-based cancer registries) and second most common cancer in rural areas.
