Global Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Their Relevance to the Pakistani Population

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy among women and remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In Pakistan, the increasing incidence of breast cancer is particularly concerning, yet the absence of a centralized cancer registry limits comprehensive risk assessment and effective disease monitoring. The present study was designed to explore potential risk factors for breast cancer in a Pakistani cohort by analyzing hospital-based epidemiological data in conjunction with previously published findings from the same population. Data were collected from patients at hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad through a structured questionnaire covering demographic, reproductive and lifestyle variables such as age at diagnosis, age at menarche, marital status, parity, age at first childbirth, breastfeeding history, menopausal status, family history, occupation, socioeconomic background and substance use. Clinical features including stage, histological type, metastasis, obesity, receptor status, and tumor grade were also evaluated. Comparative analysis with earlier reports revealed that none of the conventionally recognized breast cancer risk factors exhibited a significant association with disease prevalence in this population, suggesting a divergence from global patterns. These findings emphasize the possibility that genetic, molecular, or population-specific determinants may contribute more substantially to breast cancer susceptibility in Pakistani women. Therefore, large-scale genetic and molecular investigations are urgently needed to clarify the underlying causes of this rising trend and to inform more effective strategies for prevention, early detection, and management.