A group of African women leaders have formed the Africa Breast Cancer Council, with the support of Roche, one of the world’s largest biotech companies as a response to the growing burden of breast cancer on the African continent.
In Africa, breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer diagnosed in women and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality.
Only one in two women in sub-Saharan Africa are currently expected to survive for five years after receiving a diagnosis.
The Council will use their wealth, diversity, and complementarity of experience to direct and propel changes in policies both in their own nations and throughout the continent.
They will encourage increased collaboration, better data collection, and improved patient outcomes.
By promoting fundamental changes in healthcare financing, access, and infrastructure, the Council’s efforts will aim to improve breast cancer care in a way that is scalable and long-lasting.
The Council will first concentrate on healthcare systems in Africa that are receptive to collaboration and innovation before expanding its efforts throughout the continent.
The Council will focus initially on African healthcare systems which are open to partnership and innovation, then move to scale this work across the continent.
Breast cancer surgical oncologist Dr. Miriam Mutebi, who is a member of the Africa Breast Cancer Council, stated: “This Council has chosen to launch during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a recognized annual global movement to drive awareness and improve early detection and thus outcomes.” This month, together with others dedicated to lowering the intolerable toll that breast cancer takes on African women, we are beginning to raise our voices as a group.
This month, we are joining forces with like-minded individuals to begin speaking out against the unacceptable number of African women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. As the project moves forward, we will draw attention to the crucial gaps that various African nations must solve in order to expedite the efficient detection, treatment, and survivability of breast cancer.”
It can take more than six months for women in Africa to receive a breast cancer diagnosis after noticing symptoms, due in part to healthcare system inefficiencies and limited access to specialized care.
This contributes to 60-70% of African women receiving a diagnosis in the late stage, reducing chances of survival and increasing cancer care costs with more expensive therapies and longer hospital stays.
This is exacerbated by a lack of awareness of the importance of breast self-checks, along with widespread stigma surrounding breast cancer treatment.
The Council will endeavor on a nationwide scale to cut the six-month diagnosis period down to sixty days in response to this demand.
More than 60% of breast cancer patients in Kenya receive a late-stage diagnosis.
Individual factors that contribute to late identification of breast cancer include geographic remoteness from health centers and ignorance of the disease’s signs and potential for recovery.
Treatment hurdles at the national level also emerge from a lack of integrated health systems, which leads to complicated patient routes and high costs associated with cancer care.
According to Wendy Cupido, general manager of Roche South Africa and Sub Region and co-chair of the Africa Breast Cancer Council, “every woman on this Council has a day job that plays an important role in the fight against breast cancer.” By uniting, we hope to focus on important areas of concern by using our knowledge, experience, connections, and enthusiasm to create a collective voice and force.
According to Dr. Magda Robalo, President and Co-Founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development and member of the Africa Breast Cancer Council, “most African women with breast cancer are diagnosed too late and, even after a diagnosis, many do not receive the treatment they need.” This terrible injustice can be completely avoided. The Africa Breast Cancer Council will endeavor to influence policy and push governments to provide the necessary funding as soon as possible in response.”
