This is breast cancer awareness month and specialists at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) have highlighted poor breastfeeding as one of the major reasons behind the 4,000 new breast cancer cases registered annually in the country.
The country is struggling with general increases in cancer cases, with an estimated 34,000 people developing different types of cancers each year, according to UCI. The cancer survival rate of around 20 percent means most of these patients die. Many patients do not get the right diagnosis and care due to gaps in our health system and poor health-seeking behaviour.
There are many risk factors (causes) of cancer that can be prevented, and those that are beyond our control.
Lifestyle-related factors such as not breastfeeding, smoking and physical inactivity are some of the known risk factors for cancer that can be prevented. Health experts say breastfeeding for a year and beyond offers stronger protection against breast cancer. They recommend breastfeeding for at least a year and up to two years.
But findings in the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) report show that close to 20 percent of mothers were not breastfeeding their children by the 12th month, the minimum time required to optimise the benefit of breastfeeding as a preventive measure for breast cancer. Breastfeeding declined further.
According to the UDHS report, by 18 months, more than 57 percent of mothers were no longer breastfeeding their children, meaning many mothers are not maximising the potential of this cancer prevention method.
Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies. For some time, activists have been advocating for the creation of breastfeeding areas at workplaces for privacy, but the implementation has been very slow, or not implemented at all.
Researchers have highlighted that there are other obstacles related to employment, with issues like short maternity leave, inflexible schedules, and a lack of private spaces for breastfeeding or pumping at work, as well as childcare limitations.
Husbands, communities and the government should continue encouraging mothers to breastfeed while addressing structural barriers to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is not only important for the prevention of cancer but also for the development of the baby by offering essential nutrients and imparting immunity to the baby for a healthier life.
But as we continue to advocate for the prevention of breast cancer by embracing longer breastfeeding, UCI scientists have also recommended frequent self-examination of one’s breasts to detect changes early and report to a nearby health facility if one senses lumps in the breast.
This applies to both men and women since all of them can be affected by breast cancer. Dr Jackson Orem, the UCI director, says with early detection and timely treatment, up to 90 percent of breast cancers are curable.