Improving early diagnosis of breast cancer in a public healthcare network in El Salvador
Asociación Salvadoreña para la Prevención del Cáncer – El Salvador
Asociación Salvadoreña para la Prevención del Cáncer – El Salvador
This project was awarded a Breast Cancer programme (BCP) grant in October 2022 and in support of the GBCI initiative.
Context
This pilot project sought to strengthen the national strategy for the early detection of breast cancer in El Salvador, through the use of a model of care previously developed and tested in Peru, which includes effective community awareness combined with the training of healthcare professionals in the early detection of breast cancer and timely referral.
GBCI – pillars supported
This project aligns with pillars 1 and 2 of the GBCI by training healthcare professionals on CBE and FNB. Pillar 1 is also supported by awareness-raising activities in the community and triaging women with abnormalities to be navigated to diagnosis. It also supports pillar 2 as the referral system for women with abnormal CBE results was strengthened and a monitoring system for women referred to care was implemented.
Project description
The project team built impressive partnerships in the region including with PAHO and the Ministry of Health (MoH) of El Salvador, which were instrumental in strengthening early breast cancer detection in the country by integrating breast cancer screening into the existing cervical cancer screening programme. Thanks to these collaborations, the team held a Parliamentary Forum on the Early Detection of Breast Cancer in alliance with the Commission on Women and Gender Equality of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador and the training (including modules on CBE, FNB, screening with ultrasound and promoting breast health in the community) developed is now included in the annual operational plan of the MoH, marking a significant achievement for the organisation and country. The culmination of the organisation’s advocacy efforts resulted in the legislative assembly of El Salvador allocating funds from the general budget of the country, to continue the project in 2024.
This ambitious project exceeded its initial targets by training 95 healthcare professionals to perform 500 clinical breast examinations during the project period. Additionally, fine needle biopsy (FNB) was performed on 20 women with palpable breast nodules, an important achievement as, before the training, FNBs were not being carried out due to a lack of trained professionals.
The team also launched an awareness campaign reaching 750 women in the community with information on breast health and early warning signs of breast cancer. A further 1050 women received information via educational resources that were disseminated.
Key numbers
Last update
Thursday 27 March 2025