WHO launches new road map for breast cancer

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new Global breast cancer initiative framework today provides a roadmap to achieve targets to save 2.5 million lives from breast cancer by 2040. The new framework, launched ahead of World Cancer Day campaigning tomorrow, recommends countries implement three pillars of health promotion for early detection, timely diagnosis and comprehensive breast cancer treatment to achieve goals.

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 death in women from cancer. However, breast cancer survival is highly unequal between and within countries; almost 80% of breast and cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

“Countries with weaker health systems are least able to deal with the growing burden of breast cancer. It puts an enormous burden on individuals, families, communities, health systems and economies, so it must be a priority for ministries of health and governments everywhere,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, “We have the tools and knowledge to prevent breast cancer and save lives. WHO supports more than 70 countries, especially low- and middle-income countries, to detect breast cancer earlier, diagnose it faster, treat it better and give everyone with breast cancer hope for a cancer-free future.”

Cancers in women, including breast cancer, leave devastating consequences for generations to come. AND A 2020 study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests that of the estimated 4.4 million women who died of cancer in 2020, nearly 1 million children were orphaned by cancer, of which 25% were caused by breast cancer. Children who lose their mothers to cancer experience health and educational disadvantages throughout their lives, causing generational, chronic social disruption and financial damage in many cases.

“Countries must ensure that this framework is included and integrated into primary health care. These efforts would not only support health promotion, but also empower women to seek and receive health care throughout the life cycle,” says Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, WHO Director of Noncommunicable Diseases. “With effective and sustainable primary health care, we can really see the path to universal health coverage.”

The newly published framework uses proven strategies to design country-specific health systems that are appropriate for providing breast cancer care in low- and middle-income settings. It outlines three pillars of action with certain key performance indicators:

1. Recommendation for countries to focus on breast cancer early detection programs so that at least 60% of breast cancer is diagnosed and treated as an early stage disease.
2. Diagnosing breast cancer within 60 days of first presentation can improve breast cancer outcomes. Treatment should be started within three months of the first appearance.
3. Treating breast cancer so that at least 80% of patients complete the recommended treatment.

Accelerating the implementation of the World Health Initiative against Breast Cancer has the potential to prevent not only millions of avoidable deaths of women from cancer, but also the associated, intergenerational consequences of those deaths.

In 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted Resolution Cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach. Since 2018, WHO has developed integrated initiatives for cancer in women and children, calling for both the elimination of cervical cancer and the doubling of childhood cancer survival. Taken together, these initiatives can reverse the generational damage of cancer and save more than a million lives over the next ten years. WHO is calling on governments, development partners, industry and individuals to do their part to close the care gap and end the generational harms of cancer.