CAN YOU IMAGINE being thrilled and excited about shockingly bad News—"Breast Cancer has now overtaken lung cancer as the world’s mostly commonly diagnosed cancer,” according to statistics released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in December2020. WHO taking action?
Yes, as a breast cancer survivor-advocate for the past 20 years, this is music to my ears, coming from World Health Organization, (WHO), I now know the change I’ve been dreaming about, is about to happen?
On World Cancer Day, WHO hosted the First of a series of consultations in order to establish a New Global Breast Cancer Initiative, which will launch on 8 March 2021, coinciding strategically with World Women’s Day? This collaborative effort between WHO, AARC, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other multi-sectorial partners will reduce deaths from breast cancer by promoting breast health, improving timely cancer detection and ensuring access toquality cancer care.
The response with renewed urgency to address breast cancer and its growing devastating impact on individuals, communities and limited health systems i commendable and encouraging.
It is very important for everyone to be aware of the impact of breast cancer.
WHO reports that in the past twenty years, overall numbers of people diagnosed with cancer nearly doubled from estimated 10 million in 2000 to 19.3 million in 2020.
Today, one in 5 people wide world will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Projections suggest that the number of people diagnosed with cancer will increase still further in the coming years and will be nearly 50% in 2040 than 2020.
Death from cancer, on the other hand, increased from 6.2 million in 2000 to 10 million in 2020
According to WHO, increasing longevity explains the increase in cancer because the risk of cancer increases with age.
Other known factors that contribute to the increase of the burden of cancer include; changes in lifestyles, unhealthy diets, insufficient physical activity, use of tobacco, harmful use of alcohol
What is interesting is that the above risk factors are modifiable pointing to the urgent need of awareness/education in eliminating breast cancer or cancer in general. It behooves all of us, from the government, public and private sectors and individuals to invest in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, support and control. When this approach is adopted by the whole country, success is inevitable. In USA, 5-year survival rate is over 95%.
In Rwanda, and other similar settings, COVID 19 has exacerbated the already existing problems of late stage diagnosis and limited access to timely treatment. In addition to having to cope with cancer, people living with cancer are also at risk of severe COVID19 illness and death.
In effort to protect themselves from infection or just because of fear, some breast cancer patients chose to abandon their treatment. According to WHO Survey 2020, cancer treatments were disrupted in more than 40 countries during the pandemic; delays in diagnosis were common, disruption to and total abandonment to therapy increased significantly. There is considerable level of anxiety, loneliness and or event mental difficulties among cancer patients.
Cancer Patient organizations like Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) Inc. perform vital service connecting, supporting and advocating for cancer patients while also educating the public on the importance of early detection. BCIEA’s role as point of contact and support hasdramatically changed with the loss of volunteer support system and funding due to social distancing and prohibited group/activity based gatherings the essence of income generation through fundraising. In addition, economic uncertainty forced our private and public supporters to cancel, postpone, or suspend their pledges all of which have drastically required us to come up with innovative solutions. We have run some zoom meetings, but only a few of our beneficiaries have technological access, not even texting. There is urgent need to focus on strategies to minimize the impact of COVID19, because human contact is vital for cancer patients. World Cancer Day is my challenge to you: I AM AND I WILL, what action will take?.
If you already support BCIEA or any other Cancer Organization, please continue to do so, if you can increase that support.
Cancer will not wait for covid19 to pass, if it will. Cancer organizations are the key to minimizing the devastating impact on people.
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Philippa Kibugu Decuir is the founder and CEO of Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) Inc.
bciafrica@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are of the author.