October is a month for breast cancer awareness, it is an annual international health campaign organised by major breast cancer charities.

A lot of people believe that breast cancer patients have little chance of staying alive and many women tend to let cancer reach a severe stage because they think if they get diagnosed they are likely to be told that they are going to die.

Breast cancer is the number one cancer affecting women globally. In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths globally.

In Rwanda, Breast cancer is also the top cause of cancer morbidity. In 2020, 1 237 new cases were diagnosed.

According to Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), Breast cancer is increasing rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to populations’ growth and aging, declining burden of communicable diseases, and shifts in risk factors. 

However, early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancers is a cornerstone in reduction of mortality, improving survival, and thus leading to a better quality of life.

Survivors’ stories

Oda Nsabimana, the co-founder of Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) has battled breast cancer for 18 years now, her journey was not an easy one as everyone from her family was thinking that it was the end.

"When the doctor gave me the news that I had breast cancer, I thought to myself that it’s over and that I was going to die, my family also lost hope and started discouraging from getting any medical help because it was too expensive and I was going to die anyway. I eventually received financial help support from my sister who urged me to go and get treated, I then went to Nairobi to get treated but it was not really an easy journey.

"When I  arrived in Nairobi I was immediately asked to bring the laboratory results from where I was diagnosed, it was really hard to get such results because the doctor was really hesitant to give the lump that they have removed from my breast but I ended getting hold of it and took it back to Nairobi where they examined it and performed a surgery to remove the infected breast and put me on chemotherapy,” she explains.

Nsabimana spent one month in Nairobi alone, she had support from her sister, church members and her children but at some point, her husband left her due to not understanding very well her sickness and what she needed but he came back along, Nsabimana survived because of God’s favor.

Phillipa Decuir Kibugu, a breast cancer survivor for 27 years also known as the pink lady and the founder of BCIEA, was pushed to know more about this type of cancer and spread awareness to many people as possible after the death of her elder sister because of breast cancer.

She took an initiative to come to Rwanda because of the need to spread the awareness widely as there was less information about breast cancer, no specialized doctors, and no professional equipment.

"I was diagnosed in 1994, I was informed at that time I was in a country that could provide what I needed to cure me, I am a faithful believer in God and I had strong support from the family, the church, and the medical staff and therefore I survived.

I want everybody to know that having breast cancer is not a joke, it completely changes you and your life, and it’s tough and life-changing,” she says.

Achille Manirakiza, an oncologist at King Faisal Hospital, says that early diagnosis of breast cancer gives chance of breast cancer to be treated.

"Rwanda has all the treatment modalities, and the cure rates are increasing. Literature tells us that for most early cases, at least 90% of patients stay alive, and without the disease by year 5 after treatment, and a little over 85% after 10 years post-treatment, if the disease is diagnosed early.”

"Obviously, a diagnosis is always scary to hear with all that is at stake, but I wouldn’t say women fear to get an early diagnosis. The knowledge that chances of the cure are high is also available, which makes it more bearable,” he adds.

We are slowly learning the genetics behind breast cancer, and how these are rampant in affected families. The message would be, know yourself and know your family history. Beyond that, a self-breast examination on a regular basis is always a good idea, even in men. Men usually have an aggressive subtype of breast cancer, and breast cancer can never be taken as a woman-only problem, Manirakiza said.