Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.
There are about 1.38 million new cases and 458 000 deaths from breast cancer each year (IARC Globocan, 2008). Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries. In low- and middle-income countries the incidence has been rising up steadily in the last years due to increase in life expectancy, increase urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles.
Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common cancer overall. There were over 2 million new cases in 2018 according to the World Cancer Research Fund.
Currently there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured. If detected late, however, curative treatment is often no longer an option. In such cases, palliative care to relief the suffering of patients and their families is needed.
The majority of deaths (269 000) occur in low- and middle-income countries, where most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in late stages due mainly to lack of awareness on early detection and barriers to health services. A situation that can be reverted if adequate public health programmes are put in place.
The World Health Organisation promotes comprehensive breast cancer control programmes as part of national cancer control plans. The recommended early detection strategies for low- and middle-income countries are awareness of early signs and symptoms and screening by clinical breast examination in demonstration areas. Mammography screening is very costly and is feasible only in countries with good health infrastructure that can afford a long-term programme.
In Guyana, a lot of headway has been made in the fight to raise awareness to breast cancer as well as other cancers. During the month of October a plethora of activities are held to raise awareness as well as screen for new cases. However, there are no specific statistics as it relates to breast cancer in Guyana.
Breast Cancer Statistics Worldwide:
• Nearly 1.7 million new breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2012.
• Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women and men worldwide. In 2012, it represented about 12 percent of all new cancer cases and 25 percent of all cancers in women.
• Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in 140 of 184 countries worldwide.
• Globally, breast cancer now represents one in four of all cancers in women.
• Since 2008, worldwide breast cancer incidence has increased by more than 20 percent. Mortality has increased by 14 percent.