Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Caribbean women—study
More women in the Caribbean have succumbed to breast cancer in the last two decades than from countries with higher incidence rates, a recent study has found.
In a new study published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, breast cancer was revealed to be the “leading cause of cancer death among women in 21 out of the 23 Caribbean territories” for the decade 2003-2013.
According to the study, the Caribbean suffers higher mortality than that of Africa, North America, and Europe.
In 2020 alone, a total of 15,000 new cases of breast cancer patients were recorded in the Caribbean, and a five-year prevalence of 219 per 100,000. The disease has been the second leading cancer in the Caribbean after prostate cancer.
Several recommendations have been laid out to curb the rates of Caribbean women developing or succumbing to breast cancer.
The study revealed that there needs to be an “implementation of national screening programs combined with education initiatives to promote breast cancer awareness.” Early disease detection has apparently shown a significant effect on mortality rates, contributing to “decreased mortality rates in screened populations where incidence is higher than in the Caribbean.”
“Comprehensive breast cancer control involves prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care,” the study said, adding that more education on palliative care “may improve disease outcomes through resource-stratified palliative care training for Caribbean healthcare providers.”
There also needs to be a “rigorous standardized monitoring and reporting of outcomes through state-of-the-art cancer registries” and “variability in the standard of care to accurately capture the true status of breast cancer in the Caribbean.
The study has also suggested to look into the genetic and ethnic predisposition of breast cancer, “as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has approximately 83% Afro-Caribbean people (6% East Indian, 9% mixed, and 2% others).”
In order to examine the dynamics of breast cancer in the Caribbean and find out which areas of the field need further investigations, the authors of the study did a meticulous and thorough literature review of all available publications and journals about breast cancer within the last 63 years (1958 to April 2021).
“This study provides essential foundational support to researchers, healthcare planners, and administrators who are interested in the status of the Caribbean breast cancer population of diverse ethnicities, environmental influence, immigrants, socioeconomic status, and sociocultural practices,” the study stated.