Story: News Desk 

Every October, the world turns pink. Streets, skylines, and social media feeds are filled with ribbons and campaigns for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, urging women to examine their breasts, seek screening, and stand in solidarity. Yet behind the global movement lies a sobering truth: breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women worldwide and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. In countries like Ghana, the disease is not only widespread but also devastating, claiming nearly half of the women diagnosed each year.

In Ghana, breast cancer has emerged as the number one cancer in both incidence and prevalence. According to Global Cancer Observatory data on Ghana, there were 5,025 new cases in 2022, representing 18.4% of all cancers diagnosed in the country. Tragically, 2,369 women died, accounting for 13.2% of all cancer deaths.

This translates into a case-fatality rate of nearly 47%, meaning that for every two Ghanaian women diagnosed, one does not survive. Beyond mortality, the burden continues in survivorship: an estimated 13,385 women are living with breast cancer within five years of diagnosis, the highest five-year prevalence of any cancer type in the country. Breast cancer is therefore not only Ghana’s most common cancer but also the second leading cause of cancer deaths after liver cancer.

The limitations of the health system worsen the crisis. Ghana has just six main cancer treatment centers, three public and three private. Public facilities are chronically overstretched, while private centers often charge fees that remain out of reach for most families. The country faces severe shortages of oncologists and pathologists, long delays in obtaining pathology results, and limited access to radiotherapy. These barriers mean that many women begin treatment far too late, or not at all, contributing to poor survival outcomes and deepening the emotional and financial toll on families.

This reality is echoed across Africa, where breast cancer is now the most common cancer overall and the leading cause of cancer death in women. In 2022, the continent recorded 198,553 new cases, accounting for 16.8% of all cancers, and 91,252 deaths, representing 11.9% of cancer deaths. At the same time, Africa carries the continent’s largest share of survivors, with 507,659 women living with breast cancer within five years of diagnosis, the highest prevalence for any cancer type.

On paper, Africa appears to have the lowest incidence rate worldwide, at 38 cases per 100,000 women compared to 54 globally. But the paradox is clear: it also bears the highest mortality rate at 19.2 deaths per 100,000 women. The explanation lies not in biology but in systemic barriers, minimal screening programs, delayed diagnoses, limited access to oncology services concentrated in urban centers, and treatment costs that remain unaffordable for most families.

Globally, breast cancer occurs in every country and in women of all ages after puberty, though rates rise with age. In 2022, an estimated 2.3 million women were diagnosed, and 670,000 died, making it the most diagnosed and most prevalent cancer worldwide. It was also the most common cancer among women in 157 of 185 countries. While 99% of cases occur in women, men are not exempt: about 0.5–1% of breast cancers occur in men, who are treated under the same principles of management. Strikingly, roughly half of all breast cancers develop in women with no specific risk factors beyond sex and age, although other factors such as obesity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, family history, radiation exposure, and hormone therapy after menopause also increase risk.