A post of mine about cancer care available in Zimbabwe following my March 2011 trip led to interesting comments from readers that focused mainly on the problem of cervical cancer. Is breast cancer also a problem in Zimbabwe? For example:
- What is its prevalence and treatment?
- What are the perceptions and treatment of the disease and how do they differ in urban vs rural areas?
- Is stigma a problem?
- Are there support groups to help women (and men) cope with breast cancer?
- Are there any studies under way or planned that relate to breast cancer?
Your comments are welcome and might help others.
Thanks, and I hope all is well…Darrell
Crude incident rate for breast cancer in Zimbabwe is 9.9 but I would think it’s slightly higher. There is a difference first off between how people relate to illnesses in the rural and urban areas. In the rural settings people are likely to seek traditional cures when they get ill, unlike in urban settings where people would seek medical attention. The cancer registry will not account for some of the rural population so I’d think it’s over 10 or even 11.
I have had close members with cancer but I am yet to expirience any stigma towards cancer patients. People, especially close relatives and the community, are very supportive. Official cancer support structures? Tricky one that, but I would say no. My aunt had breast cancer and I do not recall such structures being available for her. If they are there the people with cancer don’t know about them. Maybe now things have changed, but I am basing on my personal experiences in 2009-10.
Treatment? I know for some time Karanda hospital near Mt. Darwin is where a large number of breast cancer operations were being done. But for chemo and radiotherapy Harare and Bulawayo, and maybe Chinhoyi also, are the main centers.
hi… sorry its late 🙂 nonetheless
i recently did a short qualitative study on perceptions of breast cancer in Bulawayo for my master thesis. Breast Cancer is all over, treatment is expensive and people are suffering and crying out for help. a sad situation as every household i visited had it tough unless on medical aid.
In Bulawayo, Island Hospice and the cancer organisation are doing a great job in providing support and creating support groups. Stigma is definitely not an issue when it comes to breast cancer, but there is lots of misconceptions surrounding the disease.