Study bemoans lack of awareness in fight against breast cancer
Close to 500 women, who were diagnosed with breast cancer, were interviewed in the study.
Understanding breast cancer and its symptoms is one of the most important weapons in the fight against the most common form of cancer among women in the world.
A recent study, Barriers to early presentation of breast cancer among women in Soweto, South Africa, interviewed 499 consecutive female patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
The study ran between January 2015 and December 2016.
Half (49%) were diagnosed at an early stage (0/I/II), and the other half (51%) at an advanced stage (III/IV).
While significantly lower in terms of early diagnosis when compared to high income countries, around 70% of breast cancer patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage in South Africa.
The researchers found those who were diagnosed at an advanced stage was largely due to "limited patient education, breast cancer knowledge and awareness, and health system inefficiencies".
"The two most commonly stated reasons for delays were fear of diagnosis or treatment and failure to recognize that breast symptoms were serious."
"Low education levels are associated with women not having good awareness of breast cancer symptoms sometimes," says Dr Maureen Joffe, the lead author of the paper.
She says that often leads to late diagnosis.
Head of Research at the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) - one of the funders of the study - Dr Melissa Wallace agrees.
"There is a need for more raising of awareness and educating of women around the symptoms of breast cancer and what to look out for."
But the study has also found shortcomings in South Africa's public healthcare service.
Joffe says apart from the general public, doctors and nurses also need education programmes to recognise the disease and know how to refer patients.
"If the clinicians do not recognise the symptoms, they often send the patients away with a misdiagnosis," she explains.
Medical practitioners are not necessarily underqualified, but might not be looking for breast cancer given an overwelming focus on Tuberculosis and HIV.
There are also other challenges.
The majority of patients seen at secondary hospitals had at least three visits before they were diagnosed.
In South Africa, patients are either referred directly to an academic hospital, or a local secondary hospital - which generally only has "some diagnostic services".
Delays and repeated referrals, coupled with unawareness and a range of socio-economic factors that come into play, can be costly.
Joffe says for the vast majority of breast cancers, early detection is vital.
Wallace, who says CANSA is heavily involved in awareness campaigns, explains early detection alone will not ensure survival, but agrees it significanly improves the patient's chances of successful treatment.
"The earlier we can detect cancers the better the prognosis for the person with cancer."
