One woman in Iran develops breast cancer every 30 to 40 minutes, with around 20,000 new cases identified annually, the head of Iran’s Breast Diseases Association said.
Nahid Nafisi said the average age of breast cancer diagnosis in Iran is about 10 years younger than the global average.
She highlighted the disease’s prevalence among younger Iranian women and the need for prevention, early detection, and effective treatment.
“Two main reasons for this widespread occurrence are Iran’s young population and lifestyle changes,” Nafisi said.
She added, “As long as the young generation, especially those born in the 1980s and earlier, reach over 50 years old, the average age of patients will remain low.”
Nafisi cited increased cigarette, hookah, and alcohol consumption, delayed marriage, having fewer children, and reduced breastfeeding duration as factors contributing to breast cancer in younger women.
Between 25 percent and 30 percent of breast cancer patients are under 40 years old, and about half are under 50, according to Nafisi.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women globally, according to the World Health Organization.
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