Annually, more than 2.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer, which makes it the most common type in the world among adults. Although a limited number of high-income countries have managed to reduce the mortality rate from this disease by 40% since 1990, for women in poorer countries one of the main challenges is receiving a timely diagnosis.
“Survival from breast cancer is 50% or less in many low- and middle-income countries,” Dr. Bente Mikkelsen of the World Health Organization. But the rate is “over 90% for those who can get the best care in high-income countries,” she stressed.
A priority everywhere
To address these inequalities, the Global Initiative Against Breast Cancer of the UN agency aims to reduce mortality from this disease by 2.5% per year.
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“Countries with the weakest health systems are the least able to manage the growing burden of breast cancer. It places an enormous burden on individuals, families, communities, health systems and economies, so It must be a priority for ministries of health and governments around the world.” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General.
«We have the tools and knowledge to prevent breast cancer and save lives. WHO is supporting more than 70 countries, particularly low- and middle-income countries, to detect breast cancer earlier, diagnose it faster, treat it better and give all people with breast cancer hope for a future without cancer.”
The three pillars of the Initiative
To address the specific needs of each country and guide governments, the initiative’s framework has three pillars:
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By 2040, more than three million cases and one million deaths a year are expected worldwide. Approximately 75% of these deaths will occur in low- and middle-income countries.
“We really can’t prevent breast cancer if we’re going to tackle cancer in countries,” said Dr. Ben Anderson, chief medical officer of WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative.
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Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. In addition, it causes more disability-adjusted life years lost in women than any other cancer. Its burden is disproportionately higher in developing countries, where the majority of breast cancer deaths occur prematurely, in women under 70 years of age.
In 95% of countries, breast cancer is the first or second leading cause of female cancer death. However, almost 80% of deaths from breast and cervical cancer occur in low- and middle-income countriesaccording to the WHO.
Situation in the Americas
The Americas accounted for almost a quarter of new breast cancer cases in 2020, a year in which there were more than 210,000 new breast cancer diagnoses in Latin America and the Caribbean, and almost 68,000 deaths.
An example of inequality in the region is that in Latin America and the Caribbean, the proportion of women affected by the disease before the age of 50 (32%) is much higher than in North America (19%).
If the Initiative is successful, nearly 480,000 breast cancer deaths would be prevented in the Americas region alone over the 20-year period.
