Enhancing breast cancer knowledge and clinical skills of healthcare providers in Misrata, Libya

National Cancer Institute, Misrata – Libya

As part of the Breast Cancer programme, this project was awarded a grant for early detection of breast cancer in October 2022.

Project objectives

This project aimed to train a cohort of female health professionals to enhance their knowledge of the benefits of early breast cancer detection and to equip them with the skills to perform Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) and identify breast abnormalities. The initiative was launched in a context where breast cancer awareness is low and the topic remains taboo, making early detection efforts particularly challenging.

Project description

In collaboration with IARC and the Department of Health Libya, the project team successfully recruited and trained 46 healthcare professionals, surpassing the initial target of 40. Over five training sessions, participants were introduced to breast cancer awareness, the importance of early detection, and hands-on CBE techniques using breast models.

The team also ran two breast cancer clinics, inviting the local population to be screened at the hospital. These clinics allowed the group of trained healthcare professionals the opportunity to practice the skills they learned by performing CBE on 98 women. Following these screenings, 56 women who presented breast abnormalities were guided to further confirm diagnosis via mammography and ultrasound, no women were found to require treatment.

In parallel, an informational campaign was also carried out and 3,750 women were reached through online information. As well as disseminating important information via social media, the team shared information via the radio to inform the population on breast health, although unfortunately, numbers reached are not available.

Key numbers

46 healthcare professionals trained on CBE

98 women screened with CBE

56 women were guided to confirm benign diagnosis

3,750 women reached through online and radio campaigns

Impact

This project has laid the foundation for an early detection programme in Libya and, according to the project team, is the first of its kind in the country. It has helped break taboos around breast cancer and built a skilled group of professionals capable of supporting early diagnosis.

In 2025, and following the success of the training and outreach activities, the team is now planning to expand the initiative to six polyclinics in Misrata, aiming to provide free CBE to 5,000 women. Approvals have already been obtained from the Ministry of Health, the National Cancer Control Authority, and the Ethical Committee. The team is also collaborating with the National Health Information System to enable electronic data collection. The 18-month implementation phase will assess the feasibility of establishing breast cancer clinics at the primary care level. While rooted locally, the project is intended to inform a broader national approach.