VOH to Host Monthlong Activity and Campaign on Breast Cancer

1st, October, 2021: Accounting for 14% of all cancers in Indian and reported every 4 minutes, breast cancer is today amongst the most common type of cancer in women. Not only that, its incidence is on the rise both in rural and urban India. But there’s good news. Age-standardized mortality in high-income countries have been coming down steadily.

Breast cancer treatment can deliver higher effective outcomes: When detected early, survival probabilities can reach 90% or more.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined and deployed its global goal to bring down breast cancer related mortality by 2.5% annually, thereby hoping to avert 2.5 million breast cancer deaths globally between 2020 and 2040. 

VOH Intervenes With Breast Cancer Month Campaign

Voice of Healthcare – in association with Viatris will be organizing a month long online campaign during BREAST CANCER.

The virtual event – which will be designed in the form of power panel discussions, Q&A sessions and One-on-Ones, amongst other formats - will be attended by government dignitaries and top Key Opinion Leaders of India who will be sharing their views & expert thoughts through exclusive interviews. 

The overarching goal will be to gather leading minds and professionals in the space under a single roof to address the various aspects and areas of Breast Cancer – covering detection, treatment, prevention or other domains. Via a diverse swathe of activities and programs, we aim to build consensus and co-create strategic action plans that can  help us bring down the number of cases, while catalysing the WHO’s global goals.

Some of the topics that will be addresses during our BREAST CANCER MONTH campaign are: 

•    Breast Cancer in India: Treatment modernization evolution over last 2 decades. 

•    Screening and Diagnosis for Breast Cancer in India.

•    Improving Treatment Access for Breast Cancer: Hospital infrastructure and Medicine Landscape.

•    Increasing healthcare burden: Desired Policies to bridge treatment and awareness gap.

More About Breast Cancer

According to a springer report: In terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), breast cancer is surpassed only by cervical cancer. India also has one of the highest rates of the most aggressive subtype of Breast Cancer, which is referred to as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). The rates of TNBC in India are almost double that of the United States (US) with estimates as high as 28% to one-third of all Breast Cancer incidents in the country.

Breast cancer can occur in any location around the world, in women of any age after puberty. It is not a transmissible or infectious disease, and there are no known viral or bacterial infections linked to the development of breast cancer. Reports suggest that approximately half of breast cancer cases develop without identifiable breast cancer risk factor. Factors increasing the risk of this ailment include advancing age, obesity, alcohol and tobacco abuse, family history of the condition, radiation exposure as well as reproductive history postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Curbing the Spread

Some of the strategies and instruments to bring down the incidence of Breast Cancer are promoting public health education to improve awareness among women and their families and communities, seeding an understanding of the importance of early detection and treatment, encouraging women to consult medical practitioners and training of health workers. Rapid diagnosis must be synced with effective treatment and specialized care by building centralized services in hospitals and care facilities. 

This story is published by VOH Team.