Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist, shared on LinkedIn:
“For years, we have told women to know their bodies, recognise breast changes and seek help early. And rightly so. But early presentation is not the same as early diagnosis.
A woman can notice a lump, seek care and do everything we asked of her, and still wait weeks or months for the right examination, referral, imaging, biopsy or result. Women can come forward early. The system can still arrive late.
In a 2023 study at Kenyatta National Hospital, women waited a median of 13 weeks from first noticing symptoms to reaching the hospital. Once there, the median time from presentation to diagnosis was another 17.5 weeks.
We talk about ‘late presentation’ as though delay sits mainly with the woman. But some of the women I see with advanced breast cancer did seek help. They were reassured, asked to return later, referred between facilities, or simply waited.
Awareness can bring a woman to the health system. It cannot guarantee the system will respond. The World Health Organization’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative sets a target:
- diagnostic evaluation,
- imaging,
- tissue sampling,
- pathology completed within 60 days of first presentation.
Target for health systems to work better, not for women to present earlier. Once a woman comes forward, the responsibility shifts. Health workers must recognise possible cancer. Referral pathways must function. Imaging and biopsy must be accessible. Results must return quickly. And there must be a clear route into treatment.
A woman should not have to become an expert navigator because she found a lump.
5-year breast cancer survival in the African Region is around 39%, compared with almost 90% in high-income countries. We cannot close that gap simply by asking more women to come forward. So yes. We have spent years telling women to present early. We now need to ask whether our health systems are ready when they do.
Awareness can bring a woman to the door, but what happens after she walks through it is on all of us.”
You can also read: Breast Health Day 2026: Why Early Detection Matters and Why Screening Cannot Wait.
