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BEIJING (AFP News Agency, 5 October 2005):   Breast cancer kills nearly 40 percent more Chinese women than it did a decade ago and the disease is now targeting a younger age group, state media reported. A survey carried out by the Ministry of Health indicated that the fatality rate of breast cancer rose 38.7%  for women living in urban areas and 39.1%  for rural  women between 1991 and 2000, China Daily reported.  

The report did not give detailed statistics but only stated that 3.53 out of every 100,000 Chinese women died from breast cancer from 1990 to 1992. Chinese women aged between 45 and 49 were most vulnerable to breast cancer, 10 to 15 years younger than their American counterparts, said the paper.There has also been a "significant increase" in the incidence of the cancer among women aged between 25 and 40, it added without providing supporting statistics. A faster and more stressful pace of life, the growing consumption of fast food and a higher fat diet were to blame, said Xu Guangwei of the China Anti-Cancer Association. Health officials are planning to establish up to 100 screening sites across the country  during the next six years and aim to register up to 15,000 women at each centre for regular screening, Xu said. 

Karen Malec, President, Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer comments: 

“The Chinese government reports that female breast cancer deaths climbed nearly 40% in the last decade and that the disease is impacting a younger age group - women between the ages 45 and 49.