Breast Cancer has developed to be a grave concern in the kingdom of Swaziland . From the time it was discovered the numbers of women diagnosed with this disease have been increasing.

Breast cancer is the second commonest killer of women, globally, after cancer of the cervix, (lung cancer in the west). And it is quickly rising to be the top killer cancer in Africa. Every year doctors around the world diagnose nearly one million new cases of breast cancer. T here is no single cause of breast cancer but many environmental factors like genetics, sex, age and previous diagnosis contribute to the presence of this condition in the body. Research has proven that should you be born in a family with a history of breast cancer, your chances of developing breast cancer are highly increased. As it is currently, 99 percent of people who get breast cancer are women, of which the remaining one percent is men.

An Information Officer (IO) of the Swaziland Breast Cancer Network (SBCN) observes that from the time the organization was formed in 2000, the age group of people diagnosed with breast cancer normally ranged between ages 40 and 60. "But now it is affecting people from age 20 and it really is a growing global concern." Normally the median age of those affected by Breast Cancer is 60, as confirmed by a doctor at Mbabane Government Hospital . "Breast cancer is not common under the age of 25 but usually starts occurring at 40 years and up," he states.

Meanwhile the IO adds that her organization has helped six people to establish their condition and they are currently under treatment for Breast Cancer. "And in past four months we had 22 people who were suspected to have the disease and out of them eight were confirmed to have breast cancer." She further says that ever since the breast cancer clinic, operating every Thursday, was opened at Mbabane Government Hospital in 2002 it attends to an average of 20 people per day. SBCN President says through initiative by both the organization and government the clinic has helped many locals and improved the survival rates of those directly affected through awareness, de-stigmatisation leading to early detection, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The IO however adds that a large fraction of the population is not benefiting from the clinic because the services are still available only in Hhohho region (Mbabane) and the organization has not reached the other regions, even in as far as educating people there on the gravity of breast cancer. "We are looking forward to government support in helping us to reach the other regions. Many people have died because they don't know where to go, so we really would like to see our services expanding to the people out there," she emphasized.

First Published on the web in August 2007 on http://www.infoshopswaziland.com a website that provides comprehensive information about the Kingdom of Swaziland.

Note: this article can be republished on the web on condition that none of the web links are removed including the attribute/author section.

Also read about "your breats, what you must know" (from the same author)