Breast Cancer Is the Most Common Cancer in the World 5 Reads That Could Save Lives
Post By Diaspoint | October 1, 2024
Every year breast cancer claims more than 650,000 lives worldwide.
Survival rates have been recorded to be as high as 90% in high income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa the rate is less than 40%.
A recent study found that the incidences of breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa had increased by 247% from 1990 to 2019. The highest incidence was recorded in Nigeria.
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month we highlight four essential reads about the difficulties women in Africa must overcome to survive this cancer.
Catching it early
People living in low- and middle-income countries, such as Nigeria, are highly vulnerable to breast cancer. Surgeon and lecturer Olalekan Olasehinde explains that this is mainly because people in these countries seek medical help at a late stage when the disease is advanced. When breast cancer is at an advanced stage, it is harder to treat and people are more likely to die.
Olasehinde outlines the five things one can do to detect breast cancer early and reduce the risk of death. The signs to look for include lumps in the breast and changes in the size or shape of the breast.
The demon disease
Black South African women are the least likely segment of the population to have breast cancer but the most likely to die from it.
Medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall was part of a study seeking to understand why. The study interviewed black women living in Soweto who had undergone treatment for breast cancer.
She reveals that diagnoses tend to be too late for successful treatment. The cancer may have spread to other parts of the body. In low-income communities, detection is low.
The women interviewed in the study also described the treatment as toxic and stressful and chemotherapy as much worse than cancer itself.
The author says understanding how patients feel about cancer and treatment can improve the way they are cared for, and help them cope better after diagnosis.
Read more: Demon disease, worse than HIV: Soweto women’s views on breast cancer
Mocked and laughed at
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