The World Health Organization (WHO) published a new Global Breast Cancer Initiative Framework today providing a roadmap to reach the goals of saving 2.5 million lives from breast cancer by 2040. The new Framework, released ahead of tomorrow’s World Cancer Day campaign, recommends countries implement the three pillars of health promotion for early detection and timely diagnosis. and the comprehensive management of breast cancer to achieve the objectives.
There are more than 2.3 million cases of breast cancer that occur each year, making it the most common cancer among adults. In 95% of countries, breast cancer is the first or second leading cause of cancer death in women. However, survival from breast cancer is highly uneven between and within countries; Nearly 80% of deaths from breast and cervical cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries.
“Countries with the weakest health systems are the least able to handle the growing burden of breast cancer. It puts enormous pressure 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 find breast cancer earlier, diagnose it faster, treat it better, and give all people with breast cancer hope for a cancer-free future. ”.
Cancer in women, including breast cancer, leaves a devastating impact on the next generation. TO 2020 study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests that with an estimated 4.4 million women dying of cancer in 2020, almost 1 million children were orphaned by cancer, 25% of whom were due to breast cancer. Children who lose their mothers to cancer experience educational and health disadvantages throughout their lives, which in many cases trigger generational chronic social disruption and economic damage.
“Countries need to ensure that this framework is engaged and integrated into primary health care. This effort would not only support health promotion, but would also empower women to seek and receive care throughout the life cycle,” says Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, Director of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO. “With effective and sustainable primary health care, we can really see a path towards universal health coverage.”
The newly published framework leverages proven strategies to design resource-appropriate, country-specific health systems for breast cancer care delivery in low- and middle-income settings. It outlines three pillars of action with specific key performance indicators:
- Recommend countries to focus on early detection programs for breast cancer so that at least 60% of breast cancers are diagnosed and treated as early stage disease.
- Diagnosis of breast cancer within 60 days of initial presentation may improve breast cancer outcomes. Treatment must begin within three months of first presentation.
- Manage breast cancer so that at least 80% of patients complete recommended treatment.
Accelerating implementation of the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative has the potential to avert not only millions of preventable female cancer deaths, but also the intergenerational consequences associated with these deaths.
In 2017, the World Health Assembly approved the Resolution Cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach. Since 2018, WHO has developed integrated initiatives on cancers of women and children, also calling for the elimination of cervical cancer and a doubling of childhood cancer survival. Taken together, these initiatives can reverse the generational damage caused by cancer and save more than a million lives in the next ten years. WHO calls on governments, development partners, industries and individuals to do their part to close the care gap and end the generational harm of cancer.