A group of women participate in Run for Her, a breast cancer awareness event, at the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall in suburban Beijing on Friday. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

He said the reasons for the increase in cases include changes in lifestyles, living conditions, diets and the urbanization of cities, as well as marriages and childbearing later in life.

On the positive side, Jiang said early detection and enhanced treatment had meant more people were now surviving the disease.

Among patients in whom the cancer was caught early on, the five-year survival rate could be as high as 90 percent in large cities, he said.

"Early detection and treatment is the key," he said.

He suggested women aged 25 and older have regular breast cancer screenings.

The specific type of screening varies according to age: Women older than 40 should have a mammogram, a widely available diagnostic and screening tool that uses low-energy X-rays to examine the breasts.

He said these should be carried out once a year. For younger women, an annual B-scan is better. A nuclear magnetic resonance test could be carried out if initial tests find something is potentially wrong, he added.

In China, the average age at which women are diagnosed with breast cancer is between 45 and 55, which is younger than in the West, according to the cancer registry.

In addition, 5-10 percent of patients have a family history of breast cancer, Jiang said. Women who have two blood relatives with breast cancer - such as a mother or aunt - are at greater risk.