Many people with breast cancer are being “systematically left behind” by a lack of action on inequalities and hidden suffering, experts have said.
People with the condition continue to face glaring inequalities and significant hardship, many of which are not recognized by wider society and policymakers, a new global report suggests.
The Lancet Breast Cancer Commission draws attention to the need for better communication between medical staff and patients and emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis.
It also highlights the need to raise awareness of breast cancer risk factors; It is estimated that almost a quarter (23%) of disease cases are preventable.
Breast cancer is now the world’s most common cancer, and at the end of 2020, 7.8 million women diagnosed in the previous five years were alive.
That same year, 685,000 women died from the disease.
Forecasts predict that global breast cancer cases will rise from 2.3 million new cases in 2020 to more than three million by 2040, with one million deaths per year from the disease occurring by 2040.
Experts suggest that although breast cancer is the most common cancer, a lack of knowledge continues to hinder effective measures.
For example, the number of people living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), cancer that has spread to other organs, is unknown, hindering the provision of treatment and care.
Although 20–30% of patients with early breast cancer experience recurrence, recurrence is not typically recorded in most national cancer registries, and therefore the number of patients living with MBC is unknown.
Lead author of the Lancet Commission, Professor Charlotte Coles, from the department of oncology at the University of Cambridge, said: “Recent improvements in breast cancer survival represent a major achievement of modern medicine.
“But we cannot ignore how many patients are systematically left behind.
“Our commission builds on previous evidence, presents new data and integrates patients’ views to shed light on a huge unseen burden.
“We hope that by highlighting these inequalities, hidden costs and suffering in breast cancer, they can be better recognized and addressed by healthcare professionals and policymakers in collaboration with patients and the public worldwide.”
The commission also warns about the social and emotional impacts of breast cancer on patients, arguing that many of these are not adequately measured.
In addition, the commission carried out a pilot study, funded by Breast Cancer Now, that analyzed the financial costs of breast cancer both to individuals and to the wider economy.
The study, which limited its scope to the United Kingdom to assess these effects in a country where healthcare is free at the point of use, found that many people experienced a drop in income, job loss and difficulty paying travel costs for treatment following diagnosis. breast cancer.
The new report suggests these costs are largely unrecognized by policymakers and society, and also warns that many of the social and emotional impacts of breast cancer on patients have not been adequately measured, according to the commission.
Breast Cancer Now says that as a result of decades of campaigning, a secondary breast cancer audit has been carried out in England and Wales to collect and analyze baseline data.
The charity says although initial data has been published recently, information on patients’ stage of diagnosis is incomplete and does not include data on patients in Wales.
He adds that although cancer strategies in Scotland and Northern Ireland have committed to improving data collection for secondary breast cancer, this has not yet been delivered.
Breast Cancer Now director of research, support and impact, Dr. Simon Vincent said: “Despite the incredible progress we have made in the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer over the last few decades, the Lancet Commission on Breast Cancer is part of this situation. – The project, funded by Breast Cancer Now, underlines how much more needs to be done for those living with this disease.
“Screening rates consistently fall short of the achievable target of 80%, and long waiting times, often caused by workforce shortages, prevent many women from quickly getting potentially life-saving treatment.
“We often hear from people living with incurable secondary breast cancer that they feel overlooked and forgotten, and the devastating truth is that much-needed insights to improve their treatment and care will not be available until accurate and complete data collection is prioritized. It has been implemented across the UK.”
He added: “We hope that governments and policymakers both around the world and in the UK will accept the commission’s roadmap for change and take urgent steps to improve support and treatment for people living with breast cancer.
“We look forward to seeing the impact of this report as we work to achieve our goal of supporting survival and well-being for everyone diagnosed with breast cancer by 2050.”