Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Early detection can change the story
Key Points(5)
- Every October, pink ribbons return to workplaces, churches, schools, communities and social media feeds across the Caribbean, carrying a familiar message: check your breasts, know your risk and get screened.
- Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide and the leading cancer diagnosed among women in the Caribbean.
- In 2022, an estimated 14,862 women in the Caribbean were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,953 died from the disease.
- Breast cancer accounted for 26.7 per cent of all new cancer cases among Caribbean women that year.
- In Jamaica, an estimated 1,327 new breast cancer cases were recorded and 684 women died from the disease in 2022, according to Global Cancer Observatory estimates.
Every October, pink ribbons return to workplaces, churches, schools, communities and social media feeds across the Caribbean, carrying a familiar message: check your breasts, know your risk and get screened.
Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide and the leading cancer diagnosed among women in the Caribbean. In 2022, an estimated 14,862 women in the Caribbean were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,953 died from the disease. Breast cancer accounted for 26.7 per cent of all new cancer cases among Caribbean women that year.
In Jamaica, an estimated 1,327 new breast cancer cases were recorded and 684 women died from the disease in 2022, according to Global Cancer Observatory estimates. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican women.
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops when cells in the breast begin to grow abnormally. These abnormal cells can form a tumour and, in some cases, spread beyond the breast to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
Although breast cancer overwhelmingly affects women, men can also develop the disease.
The World Health Organization notes that mortality is reduced when breast cancer is detected and treated early. For women diagnosed with early-stage disease, the prognosis can be good. PAHO reports that women diagnosed at stages I and II generally have five-year survival rates of around 80–90 per cent.
The challenge for the Caribbean is getting more women into that early-diagnosis window.
A regional systematic review of more than 221,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer found that approximately 43 per cent of Caribbean patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage — stages III or IV. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, the researchers linked the high mortality-to-incidence ratio in part to advanced-stage diagnosis and inadequate access to healthcare. That distinction matters.
Finding a lump does not automatically mean cancer, but ignoring a lump, nipple change or other unusual breast change can allow a potentially treatable cancer to progress.
There are signs that early detection can produce encouraging outcomes. A study of 503 women treated at the University Hospital of the West Indies found overall survival rates of 96.4 per cent at one year, 84.9 per cent at three years and 79 per cent at five years within that study cohort. Survival varied according to factors including tumour characteristics and cancer subtype.
Know your risk
Anyone can develop breast cancer, but some women face a higher risk.
Risk increases with age, particularly after 40. Other factors include:
- A family history of breast or ovarian cancer
- Inherited genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2
- Certain hormonal and reproductive factors, including early menstruation and later menopause
- Some forms of hormone therapy
- Alcohol consumption
- Being overweight or obese
- Physical inactivity
Know what is normal for you
Breast awareness means knowing what your breasts normally look and feel like so that you can recognize a change.
Possible warning signs include:
- A new lump or thickening in the breast or underarm
- A change in the size, shape or appearance of the breast
- Skin changes such as dimpling, redness or thickening
- A nipple that becomes inverted when it was not previously
- Unusual nipple discharge
- Persistent breast pain or another breast change that does not go away
Screening can find what you cannot feel
A clinical breast examination allows a doctor or trained healthcare provider to examine the breasts and surrounding areas for abnormalities. It can form part of a routine gynaecological or primary-care visit.
A mammogram, meanwhile, is an X-ray of the breast that can identify some cancers before they can be felt.
Screening recommendations differ according to age, risk and the resources available in each country. In Jamaica, the current cancer-screening framework identifies mammography for women ages 40–69, with the frequency and appropriate approach determined within the screening programme and according to individual circumstances.
If an examination or mammogram identifies something suspicious, additional tests may be necessary. These can include an ultrasound and, when indicated, a biopsy, which examines tissue to determine whether cancer cells are present.
This October, don't just wear pink
If you are 40 or older, speak with your healthcare provider about the screening schedule appropriate for you. If you are younger but have a strong family history or other risk factors, do not assume that age means you can wait.
Make the appointment.
Ask the question.
Get the examination.
Complete the recommended tests.
And if you receive a diagnosis, seek treatment and support promptly.
