"Haredi women are characterized by a different lifestyle compared to
secular women. They start giving birth at an earlier age and have more
children, and so the breast cancer which develops in their body is on a
different hormonal background, and therefore they are less exposed to
the disease but also suffer from a more aggressive cancer.”
Israeli Haredi Women Have Less Breast Cancer Than Secular Women But Poorer Survival Rates
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The Israel Cancer Association has released a study showing that haredi women have poorer breast cancer survival rates than secular women, Ynet reported.
"Haredi women are characterized by a different lifestyle compared to secular women. They start giving birth at an earlier age and have more children, and so the breast cancer which develops in their body is on a different hormonal background, and therefore they are less exposed to the disease but also suffer from a more aggressive cancer,” Professor Siegal Sadetzki, director of the Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Unit at the Gertner Institute, said at a press conference in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month organized by the Israel Cancer Society.
The research reportedly shows that the rate haredi women are diagnosed with breast cancer is 70% lower than secular women.
The rate of mammography screening was reportedly similar in both groups diagnosed with breast cancer in the in the 50-74 age group. In the past, fewer haredi women underwent screening than secular women.
Even so, breast cancer in haredi women is usually detected at a much more advanced stage. That leads to more aggressive tumors, higher chances of cancer recurrence and lower survival rates.
Israel ranks fourth in the world in diagnosed breast cancer cases with 96.8 patients per 100,000. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average is 71.6 per 100,000.
Israel ranks fifth in breast cancer deaths with 25 cases per 100,000. The OECD average is 19.8 deaths per 100,000.