In South Africa, the International Agency for Research on Cancer predicts that breast cancer deaths are predicted to rise by more than a third by 2030. Experts caution that breast cancer is becoming one of Africa’s most urgent health and development issues, with disastrous effects on women, their families, and national economies.Professor Carol-Ann Benn, founder of the Breast Care Centre of Excellence and Chair of the Africa Breast Cancer Council, tells IOL that urgent action is needed to prevent what she describes as a growing catastrophe.“Breast cancer is now one of Africa’s most urgent health challenges,” Benn told IOL.Women are being diagnosed at younger ages and often at a later stage, often without access to specialist care, resulting inhigh mortality rates. “Breast cancer is now one of Africa’s most urgent health challenges,” Benn told IOL.
This is not because the disease is more aggressive, but because the healthcare system is slow to reach women with “projections indicating that cases will double throughout the continent by 2045,” Professor Carol Benn noted with a great degree of concern.In South Africa, the International Agency for Research on Cancer predicts thatbreast cancer deaths are predicted to rise by more than a third by 2030.And when a woman becomes ill in Africa, the impact extends beyond just one person,” Benn added. This is not because the disease is more aggressive, but because the healthcare system is slow to reach women with “projections indicating that cases will double throughout the continent by 2045,” Professor Carol Benn noted with a great degree of concern. breast cancer deaths are predicted to rise by more than a third by 2030 And when a woman becomes ill in Africa, the impact extends beyond just one person,” Benn added.
She explained that women with breast cancer are often the centre of a family, and key contributors to the economy. “Women with breast cancer can have adverse effects on their children’s education, household stability, and community wellbeing.” Benn stressed that early detection is not only a medical imperative, but an economic one. “Early detection not only saves lives but also economies,” she told IOL.Treating late-stage breast cancer can be up to twenty times more expensive than early diagnosis.Every year of delayed diagnosis removes women from the workforce, destabilises families, and increases national healthcare costs.Evidence from Egypt underscores the impact.For every £1 invested in screening (about R22.50), the country gained approximately £1.38 (around R31) in economic return, saving roughly R562 million in productivity.Over 60 million women accessed health facilities, more than 33,500 breast cancer cases were detected, and thousands received life-saving treatment free of charge.”While each country differs, the pattern is clear: early detection is one of the most cost-effective development investments any nation can make,” Benn said. “Early detection not only saves lives but also economies,” she told IOL.
