October = Pink = Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast cancer continues to pose a significant challenge in Namibia, particularly in reducing the high number of women diagnosed at advanced stages.Each year, more than 550 women in Namibia are diagnosed with breast cancer, and unfortunately, many of these diagnoses occur at late stages, leading to poor prognoses and outcomes. The issue of metastatic disease remains a major concern, requiring urgent and sustained intervention.
In response to this ongoing health crisis, the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) has been at the forefront of efforts to combat breast cancer through awareness and screening initiatives. The organisation first hosted ad-hoc screening clinics and, in 2017, formally launched the National Cancer Outreach Programme (NCOP). This programme was developed to screen rural communities throughout the country, with a dual purpose: to raise awareness at the grassroots level and provide direct screenings, and more importantly, to empower healthcare workers in the regions. By providing clinical screening training to healthcare workers, the programme aims to ensure faster referral of patients to hospitals for treatment.
Collab
In 2023, a further step was taken with the launch of the Namibia Breast Clinic initiative, in collaboration with the Dr AB May Cancer Care Centre at Windhoek Central Hospital, CAN, and donor-partner Roche.
This initiative was driven by the growing concern of the increasing number of advanced breast cancer cases in Namibia.
CAN chief executive Rolf Hansen recounts: "Dr Marcia Venter, Dr Annelle Zietsman and I realized that if we don't take immediate, drastic action, the ticking time bomb of breast cancer cases would soon explode."
With the expertise of Drs Zietsman and Venter, and the successful NCOP model, the first breast clinic was launched in February 2023. At the moment, Namibia has breast clinic programmes established in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Oshakati, Onandjokwe, Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Rundu, and Katima Mulilo. These clinics are supported by a network of peers and the medical oncology unit at Windhoek Central Hospital. The impact of these programmes is already being felt.
In mid-2024, Standard Bank Namibia joined Roche in providing financial support to the initiative.
However, the true heroes are the surgical, medical, and nursing teams at hospitals across the country who have accepted the challenge and work tirelessly with passion and empathy to provide screening and diagnostics for breast cancer patients.
‘Worrying’
The statistics paint a worrying picture.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) through GLOBOCAN (Global Cancer Observatory) data, in 2022 Namibia recorded 3 453 cancer cases overall, with 553 cases of breast cancer, making it one of the leading cancers in the country.
The GLOBOCAN projections estimate that by 2050, there will be more than 1 100 new breast cancer cases annually if urgent interventions are not publicly available soon.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, CAN urges all Namibians to prioritize regular breast cancer screenings and to spread the message of early detection, as it remains the most effective way to combat this disease.
CAN will continue its efforts to expand access to screenings and improve early diagnosis to save lives.
Contact CAN at 061 237 740, 081 953 7740, [email protected] or visit www.can.org.na.