Breast cancer: Epidemiology, prevention and screening recommendations

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the major morbidities worldwide specifically in developing countries including Thailand. The incidence of breast cancer is the highest over the decade. As medical technologies have been advancing, the life expectancy for breast cancer patients is increasing. This leads to public health problems due to large amount of health expenditure and quality of life. Hence, promoting healthy behaviors such as non-smoking, alcohol abstinence, increase of physical activity, and maintain healthy weight will not only decrease breast cancer incidence, along with other diseases, but also minimize the relapse of breast cancer. Screening for breast cancer in the general and high risk population is, therefore, crucial for the prevention of this health problem.