The Africa Breast Cancer Council is working to reduce the breast cancer diagnosis time across the continent to six months as it establishes a coalition of women leaders to champion improved cancer care.
Currently, many women in Africa face significant delay, often exceeding six months between noticing symptoms and receiving a diagnosis, a result of healthcare inefficiencies and limited access to specialized care.
This delay has devastating consequences, as 60 to 70 percent of African women receive their diagnosis only when the cancer is at an advanced stage. Late-stage detection drastically lowers survival rates and leads to higher treatment costs due to more intensive therapies and extended hospital stays.
Backed by Roche, a global biotechnology leader, the Africa Breast Cancer Council aims to tackle these challenges by advocating for better healthcare policies and systemic improvements.
The group’s head, Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, also the president-elect of the Union for International Cancer Control, emphasized the urgent need for awareness and action.
“The knowledge of risk factors and early symptoms remains poor, and many women are hindered by the fear of stigmatization and financial burdens,” Shinkafi-Bagudu said, noting that these barriers prevent women from seeking timely medical care.
Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Africa and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 50 percent of women survive for five years after diagnosis, a stark contrast to survival rates in developed regions. In Nigeria, the three-year survival rate is alarmingly low at 36 percent, a figure linked to late diagnosis, high treatment costs, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
The Africa Breast Cancer Council plans to leverage the expertise and influence of its members to address these issues. The council aims to foster collaboration between African healthcare systems, improve data collection, and advocate for increased funding and resources for breast cancer care.
Additionally, they will focus on healthcare systems open to innovation and partnership, working toward creating sustainable, scalable improvements in diagnosis and treatment across the continent.
Wendy Cupido, co-chair of the council and general manager at Roche South Africa, highlighted the collective strength of the council members: “Every woman on this council brings valuable expertise and relationships. Our goal is to channel these into a unified voice to tackle critical areas of concern.”
Magda Robalo, another council member and president of the Institute for Global Health and Development, expressed the council’s determination to address the issue of late-stage diagnosis: “Most African women are diagnosed too late, and many do not receive the necessary treatment. This is a preventable injustice, and we are committed to pushing for policies that urgently address this issue.”
