Breast cancer: Why early detection and timely care remain critical

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month is marked in October, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for greater focus on early detection, timely diagnosis and access to quality care, warning that where a woman lives or her ability to pay should not determine her chances of surviving the disease.

This year’s theme, “Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters,” highlights the different experiences of women diagnosed with breast cancer and the effect the disease can have on families, children, partners and other loved ones.

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women globally. In 2024, an estimated 2.4 million women were diagnosed with the disease and about 694,000 died from it.

The burden is also significant in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, where breast cancer accounted for 37 per cent of all cancer cases among women and 29 per cent of female cancer deaths in 2024.

“Every experience of cancer is different. But no woman’s chances of survival should depend on where she lives, what she earns, or her background,” said Dr. Adham Ismail, Officer-in-Charge of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.

For health workers, the message places early recognition and referral at the Centre of breast cancer care.

Women should be encouraged to seek medical attention when they notice a new or unusual change in their breasts, including a lump or thickening, a change in breast size or shape, skin or nipple changes, or abnormal nipple discharge.

These symptoms do not automatically mean a woman has breast cancer, but they require assessment rather than being ignored or attributed to other causes without examination.

WHO says detecting breast cancer early, followed by timely diagnosis and effective treatment, can substantially improve outcomes.

“We know what makes a difference: awareness, early detection, timely diagnosis and access to effective, quality treatment,” Ismail said. “So, our message is simple. Detect earlier. Diagnose faster. Treat better.”

The call is particularly important in settings where women may face delays between noticing symptoms, reaching a health facility, receiving a diagnosis and starting treatment.

WHO says access to breast cancer services remains uneven across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, particularly for women living in disadvantaged and low-resource settings.

Where mammography screening is not feasible, WHO says approaches such as clinical breast examination, combined with public awareness and prompt referral, can help support earlier diagnosis.

This places primary healthcare workers in an important position. A woman may first disclose a breast change to a clinical officer, nurse or other health worker rather than presenting directly to a specialist cancer Centre.

For frontline practitioners, recognizing a concerning breast change, taking an appropriate history, performing or arranging clinical assessment and ensuring prompt referral can therefore help reduce delays in diagnosis.

WHO’s message extends beyond detecting the disease. Women who receive a diagnosis may require surgery, radiotherapy, systemic treatment, rehabilitation and psychosocial support. Patient navigation can also help women move through complex health systems and access treatment without unnecessary delays.

The WHO Regional Office says countries are working to strengthen breast cancer prevention, early detection and care through the Cairo Call to Action on Breast Cancer, endorsed by Member States during the 2025 session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.

The framework calls for greater public awareness, stronger primary healthcare, investment in diagnostic and treatment services, psychosocial support and patient navigation, better use of data and stronger regional collaboration.

Globally, the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, established in 2021, aims to reduce breast cancer mortality by 2.5 per cent annually and avert 2.5 million deaths by 2040 through better health promotion, timely diagnosis and comprehensive cancer management.

For health practitioners, the awareness month therefore offers an opportunity to look beyond awareness campaigns and examine what happens after a woman notices a possible warning sign.

Early detection only saves lives when it is followed by timely diagnosis and treatment. The goal should not only be for women to survive breast cancer, but to have the opportunity to live well beyond it.