The Uganda Cancer Institute says it receives about 350 new breast cancer cases annually, with specialists warning that painless lumps and delayed medical assessment continue to contribute to late diagnosis.
The Uganda Cancer Institute is recording an increasing number of breast cancer cases, with specialists raising concern about young women affected by the disease and continued delays in seeking medical attention.
James Kafeero, an oncologist and head of Clinical Services, Screening and Community Cancer Services at the Uganda Cancer Institute, says the facility receives about 350 new breast cancer cases annually, with additional patients treated at regional cancer centres in Mbarara and Gulu.
Breast cancer is among the most common cancers affecting women in Uganda, ranking second after cervical cancer, according to the story’s source.
Kafeero says that, unlike some other diseases, breast cancer has no established vaccine for primary prevention, making early detection and timely diagnosis important in improving treatment outcomes.
“We can't vaccinate against breast cancer, so we tend to do early diagnosis and screening,” he says.
He notes that although public awareness about breast cancer is improving, many patients still arrive at health facilities when the disease has advanced, making treatment more difficult.
However, increased awareness and uptake of breast examinations are helping specialists identify some cases at earlier stages, including stages one and two, when treatment outcomes are generally better, he says.
Kafeero identifies the tendency to ignore breast lumps that do not cause pain as one of the major challenges in the fight against the disease.
He explains that early breast cancer may present as a painless lump, leading some patients to assume that the condition is harmless and does not require medical attention.
“Traditionally, we come to the hospital because of pain. So people who have masses in the breast and they're not painful, they don't see any reason to seek health care,” he says.
According to Kafeero, this misconception contributes to late diagnosis because some patients only seek treatment when the lump becomes painful or other symptoms develop.
He argues that delays are not always caused by limited access to health facilities but may also stem from a lack of awareness about the early signs of breast cancer.
“Any mass in the breast needs to be examined and proved cancer unless otherwise,” he says, emphasising the need for medical assessment of unusual breast changes.
Kafeero explains that screening and diagnostic examinations help health workers determine whether a breast lump is cancerous and guide decisions on appropriate treatment.
He says the rising number of cases recorded at the institute may partly reflect improved awareness and more people seeking medical care, rather than an increase in the actual occurrence of the disease alone.
In the past, some patients remained undiagnosed because they did not seek treatment, while others turned to alternative forms of care, he says.
With increased public awareness and the availability of specialised treatment services, more people are presenting at health facilities for assessment, enabling health workers to identify cases that might previously have gone undetected.