Every five minutes, a woman living in the Middle East and Africa region loses her life to breast cancer. Each of these 124,500 annual deaths is a mother, a sister, a friend whose absence is deeply felt. Without urgent, collective action, this toll is set to double by 2045, threatening to overwhelm health systems and stealing yet more futures.
This month, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Health Ministers from across the Middle East will gather in Cairo to discuss the region’s health priorities during the annual meeting of the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO EMRO). For the first time, thanks to the leadership of the Government of Egypt, the agenda includes a dedicated session on breast cancer. This is a historical opportunity to change the trajectory of the disease in our region. We must not let it pass us by.
Globally, major advances in medical science and technology in recent decades, driven by multisectoral collaboration, have transformed our ability to detect and treat breast cancer. As a result, breast cancer mortality rates have decreased in most of the world's wealthiest countries. Now we must replicate this success in the Middle East and Africa and come together to reduce breast cancer by 2.5 percent, in line with targets set out by the WHO.
Policymakers, healthcare providers, the private sector and civil society all have a role to play in to achieve this goal. It requires breast cancer to be prioritised in national cancer plans and underpinned by sufficient funding. Clear targets must be set to complete full diagnostic evaluation within 60 days, as per WHO standards, alongside wider access to screening, diagnostics and personalised treatment options. The newly launched Cairo Call to Action on Breast Cancer, a collaboration between Egypt and WHO EMRO, can help guide this mission by offering a practical implementation roadmap based around three clear priorities.
First, health promotion and early detection. Across the region, more than half of women live with obesity, and rates of physical inactivity among women are the highest in the world. Tackling these leading risk factors for breast cancer requires investment in targeted and culturally resonant health education and promotion. Beyond lifestyle risks, misconceptions and fear also continue to suppress screening uptake. It is heartbreakingly common to hear breast cancer patients who are reluctant to be treated and hide themselves away following diagnosis because of the social stigma that remains attached to the disease. Cross-sector, community-focussed interventions like the “Not Her Journey Alone” campaign in Egypt, as well as the “Change The Story” campaign in the UAE are vital to ensure all women have access to the key information and feel supported.
Second, prevention must be matched with a drive for earlier and faster diagnosis. Catching and treating breast cancer early significantly improves survival rates, yet evidence shows that breast cancer patients in the Middle East can wait up to three to four months before diagnosis. This makes it the region with the slowest diagnosis in the world. However, encouragingly, clear referral guidelines have been effective in improving outcomes in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Collaboration between the public and private sectors can revolutionise patient pathways, as demonstrated by the recently announced partnership between M42, SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca in the UAE, aimed at advancing cancer diagnosis, including breast cancer. This exciting project uses cutting edge liquid biopsy testing, which gives a faster and more accurate detection of cancer through a simple blood test. The aim is to expand this technology across the Middle East in the coming years.
Finally, commitment to health equity is essential, so that every woman can receive optimal breast cancer care. Multisectoral programmes like AstraZeneca’s Cancer Care Africa provide a scalable model to achieve this. With a focus on collaboration across sectors to build healthcare capacity, enhance screening and diagnostics, empower patients, and enable access to medicines, Cancer Care Africa is transforming outcomes for cancer patients, including breast cancer.
Great strides have been made in recent years at the global level to reduce the devastating impact of breast cancer. Now we have the chance to ensure this progress is mirrored equitably across the Middle East and Africa. As Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population of Egypt said earlier this year, “By focusing on comprehensive, affordable breast cancer treatment – while sharing best practices with our international collaborators – we can create a dignified and healthier future for women."
The tools to defeat breast cancer are within reach. The burden is clear, the expertise and programs exist; what remains is the courage to act and invest—together. Let us seize this moment in Cairo to turn commitment into tangible change. By building strong partnerships and prioritising equity, we can create a new brighter future—one in which every woman, wherever she lives, has the chance to thrive beyond breast cancer.
* Pelin Incesu – Area Vice President, Middle East and Africa, AstraZeneca
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