Hundreds of survivors, support group leaders, activists and scientists from more than 40 countries have gathered for the 17th Reach to Recovery meeting, 60 years after the first breast cancer support group was started in a United States.
Addressing the plenary session yesterday (WEDNESDAY), Professor Eugenio Panieri, a surgeon heading up the breast cancer clinic at Groote Schuur hospital said although there was less cancer in the developing world, more people were dying from it, compared to richer countries.
Breast and cervical cancer are by far the most common cancers in Africa with cervical cancer causing slightly more deaths. At least half of all breast and cervical cancer patients in Africa die.
Panieri said Africa was facing a cancer tsunami as populations aged over the next 30 years ‘ The number of women over 60 years of age was expected to quadruple.
‘Cancer is badly diagnosed and treated in Africa,’ said Panieri, adding that despite increasing numbers of patients, his unit was expected to function with the same number of resources as several years ago.
South Africa currently has nine clinics where state patients can be screened, but Panieri points out that they are all in urban centres, with massive challenges when it comes to access.
He said the best value for money would be for governments to educate patients and train clinic workers to examine patients for breast cancer, referring those needing further intervention. Panieri also called for diagnostic clinics across the country where access was easy and women were not expected to make bookings and have referral letter. These clinics could be run from clinics on a specific day, using current staff.
The third cog was having specialists able to offer treatment, some of which is cheap and effective.
Dr Funmi Olopade of the University of Chicago said the cancer movement was not united and had to start thinking like their HIV colleagues. ‘We are all working in our own areas,’ she said.
Olopade said there was no use in screening patients if they are unable to access treatment. ‘What is the point of screening if you cannot do anything for them,’ she asked. Olopade said there had been huge advances in cancer research, but ‘we are still failing to win the war’.
‘We need to reboot ourselves in cancer,’ she said.
The meeting ends on Friday.
