Worldwide, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. It’s also the leading cause of cancer-related death among women. The incidence of breast cancer is expected to rise, with the majority of breast cancer cases occurring among women in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa, where adherence to treatment remains a challenge. For example, outcomes are dependent upon patients following the recommended chemotherapy protocols and getting the recommended drugs at the right time.
There were 10,174 new known breast cancer diagnoses in South Africa in 2019. These accounted for 23% of all the new cancer cases in women in South Africa. It is likely that the burden of disease is even higher, though, as not everyone has access to diagnostic facilities. Some people don’t know they have breast cancer because it hasn’t been diagnosed.
