Many victims ‘overlooked and left behind’
MANY people with breast cancer are being “systematically left behind”, a global report suggests.
It says sufferers face glaring inequalities and significant adversity, much of which is unacknowledged.
The Lancet Breast Cancer Commission calls for better communication between medical staff and patients, and stresses the importance of early detection.
It also urges more awareness of risk factors, with 23% of cases estimated to be preventable.
Breast cancer is now the world’s most common cancer, and at the end of 2020 some 7.8 million women were alive who had been diagnosed in the previous five years. In the same year, 685,000 women died from it.
Estimates suggest new cases will rise from 2.3 million in 2020 to over three million by 2040, when a million deaths are projected.
Gaps in knowledge prevent effective action, the experts suggest. For example, the number of people living with breast cancer that has spread to other organs is not known, hampering treatment.
The Lancet Commission’s lead author, Prof Charlotte Coles, said: “We can’t ignore how many patients are being systematically left behind. Our commission presents new data and integrates patient voices to shed light on a large unseen burden.
“We hope by highlighting these inequities they can be better recognised and addressed.”
The commission also did a pilot study in the UK, funded by Breast Cancer Now, looking at costs to individuals and the economy.
It found many lost income and found it hard to pay travel costs.
Dr Simon Vincent, of Breast Cancer Now, said: “People with incurable secondary breast cancer often feel forgotten. We hope governments take urgent steps to improve support and treatment.”