Breast Cancer Surge in Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo, Mexico — Health authorities are alerting the public to a significant growth in breast cancer cases among adult and adolescent women in Quintana Roo, underscoring the critical importance of early diagnosis, which can substantially increase survival probabilities.

According to figures from the federal Secretary of Health, the incidence of breast cancer in Quintana Roo doubled between 2020 and 2024, rising from 16.3 diagnoses per 100,000 people to 33.18 over the four-year period.

The population with the greatest increase in cases was women aged 50 to 59 years. Within this group, the incidence rate rose from 46.7 to 103.4 during this same timeframe. However, the data confirms the disease is not exclusive to one age group, as an increase was also registered among adolescents aged 15 to 19.

"The early detection continues to be the key to increasing survival in cases of breast cancer," authorities stated. While diagnoses among women in this younger demographic were 1.3 per 100,000 in 2020, the most recent registry by authorities placed the figure at 2.4, representing an increase of 84.6 percent.

In 2025, units within the health sector have reported 287 positive diagnoses of breast cancer in women across the state, a figure that is 63 percent higher than in 2024, when 176 cases were detected. The group of women aged 50 to 59 continues to concentrate the highest incidence of new diagnoses.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) indicated that in Quintana Roo, the third leading cause of death among women is malignant tumors, followed by diabetes, and, in first place, heart disease.

Although the figures do not specify at what stage patients were diagnosed, experts note that an early diagnosis can elevate the five-year survival rate by more than 90 percent.

Health authorities are reinforcing prevention and timely diagnosis campaigns throughout the state. This type of cancer is defined as a malignant tumor that originates in the cells of the breast, forming a group of cells that grow in a disordered and independent manner and tend to invade surrounding tissues, as well as distant organs.