NATIONAL GUIDELINE FOR BREAST HEALTH, EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TIMELY BREAST CANCER MANAGEMENT IN ETHIOPIA 2024-2028

Abstract

The rising cancer burden is a major public health concern globally. There were an estimated million new cases and 10 million new deaths worldwide in 2020. Breast cancer has the highest incidence amongst all cancers, with over 2.2 million cases reported globally in 2020). While, rare in males accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, with 11.7% of all new cases and 15% of all cancer deaths. Most breast cancer cases and deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. According to a review of breast cancer care in Africa, women with breast cancer had low levels of early health-seeking practices. In Ethiopia, rates are growing, and it is already the leading type of cancer (see Figure 1) with 16,133 new cases in 2020 and an age standardized incidence rate of 41.5/100,000. It is now the leading cause of cancer morbidity among adult women in the country, accounting for one third of all cancer cases in women and one in five of all cancers