Evandro de Azambuja, President of the Belgian Society for Medical Oncology (BSMO), shared on LinkedIn:
“Proud to share our newly published study. Our paper highlights the substantial inequalities that continue to affect breast cancer care worldwide.
Key findings:
- An estimated 679.7 million women aged 50-75 years do not receive mammography screening globally.
- Approximately 796,000 women with breast cancer each year may experience delays in diagnosis and/or treatment initiation.
- These delays could be associated with nearly 127,000 deaths annually, largely due to more advanced disease at presentation and postponed interventions.
- Education, geographic location, travel time, and socioeconomic factors remain major barriers to screening and early diagnosis.
These findings reinforce a simple but critical message: where a woman lives and the resources available to her should not determine her chances of surviving breast cancer.
The study underscores the importance of the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative and the urgent need to expand equitable access to early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Congratulations and thanks to all co-authors and collaborators who contributed to this important work.”
Title: A systematic review of barriers to mammography screening and timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment initiation: estimating the global impact.
Authors: Evandro de Azambuja, Shani Paluch-Shimon, Elvira Mueller, Kurt Neeser, Melina Arnold, Pavel Napalkov, Carlos H. Barrios.
You can also read: First Mammogram: What to Expect and How to Prepare.
