Grants for the early detection of breast cancer
As part of its Breast Cancer programme, UICC has awarded 19 grants to UICC members to support evidence-based projects focused on improving the availability of and access to early detection of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. If detected early enough, however, it can be treated successfully. Yet in many parts of the world, notably in low- and middle-income countries, breast cancers are detected at more advanced stages, when the disease has spread to another part of the body. Through early detection and the downstaging of disease, significant progress can be made in reducing global breast cancer mortality.
Building on the SPARC Metastatic Breast Cancer Challenge – a grants initiative that enabled the launch of 51 new projects addressing the needs of advanced breast cancer patients from 2015-2019 – UICC awarded 19 grants of up to USD 20,000 each to projects offering an evidence-based approach to improving the availability of and access to early detection in 2021 and 2022. Projects were implemented for a duration of one year.
Focus areas of awarded organisations
The grants address two of the three pillars of the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, which aims to avert 2.5 million deaths by 2030, namely health promotion and early detection, and timely diagnosis. The projects supported focused on the following topics:
- Promotion of breast health, breast cancer symptoms and addressing the stigma of the disease, encouraging individuals to seek medical advice as early as possible.
- Training of health care workers to identify symptoms and help patients navigate through the health system and services.
- Connecting hard-to-reach populations to existing services where available.
- Improving the coordination of services and referral systems for timely and quality diagnosis.
- Advocacy campaigns leading to broad stakeholder engagement and additional resources for early detection.
The review and selection process for the grants sought to ensure that any project supported included access to referral systems and follow-up treatment and care for those diagnosed, of critical importance where efforts to increase early detection and timely diagnosis are being implemented.
Projects awarded
| Organisation | Project leader | Country | Project title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asociación Salvadoreña para la Prevención del Cáncer | Lisseth Guadalupe Ruiz de Campos | El Salvador | Improving early diagnosis of breast cancer in a public healthcare network in El Salvador: a pilot study/ project |
| Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health | Kirthana Sharma | Botswana | Demonstration of a scalable breast health care pathway |
| B. P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital | Asmita Rana | Nepal | Education and training of primary health care workers to improve patient pathway for early detection of breast cancer |
| FEMAMA | Gabriel Morás | Brazil | Expanding access to genetic and genomic tests in cancer in Brazil |
| Fundación Movicáncer Nicaragua | Orlando Benito Martinez Granera | Nicaragua | Strengthening of early detection and access to Pro Breast Health assistance in the Region of Río San Juan |
| Indira Cancer Trust | N Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayake | Sri Lanka | National Program for Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer through Breast Health Awareness and Clinical Breast Exam in Sri Lanka |
| International Cancer Institute | David Muyodi | Kenya | Education and training of front-line health care providers to improve early detection of breast cancer |
| International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care | Patsy Yates | Canada | Breast aware: A train the trainer programme for nurses in Africa |
| King Hussein Cancer Foundation | Reem Al-Ajlouni | Jordan | Advocacy for the provision of free early detection services |
| National Cancer Council of Mongolia | Tsetsegsaikhan Batmunkh | Mongolia | Improvement of breast cancer screening adherence in rural area of Mongolia |
| National Cancer Institute, Misrata | Muna Abusanuga | Libya | Enhancing breast cancer knowledge and clinical skills among healthcare providers at the polyclinics in Misrata, Libya |
| Ocean Road Cancer Institute | Nazima Dharsee | Tanzania | ‘Reach and Teach’- Increasing community awareness of breast cancer in Tanzania |
| PinkDrive | Renee Goedhals | South Africa | Expansion of breast cancer screening to Limpopo |
| Public Foundation "Ergene" | Nargiza Bakirova | Kyrgyzstan | Diagnostic mobile mammography integration with CBE for breast cancer early detection in the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan |
| Rwanda Cancer Relief | Niyibizi Asuman Brandon | Rwanda | Breast cancer early detection and care coordination in Rwanda |
| Society for Cancer Advocacy and Awareness Kuching | Melissa Siaw Han Lim | Malaysia | Beyond breast cancer awareness in rural Sarawak, Borneo - a documentary of outreach programs |
| Supportive Fund for Cancer Patients - Bright Future | Tran Huong | Vietnam | Awareness and capacity building for women and commune health collaborators on breast cancer prevention in ethnic minority in Vietnam |
| Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organisation | Gertrude Nakigudde | Uganda | Improving breast cancer early diagnosis in Uganda through training of village health team volunteers about signs and symptoms of breast cancer and using patient navigation to connect them to imaging and biopsy |
| University of Malaya | Nur Aishah Taib | Malaysia | A sustainable community navigation implementation programme for early diagnosis of breast cancer amongst the disadvantaged urban poor in Selangor |
Review committee 2022
The 15 organisations were shortlisted out of 71 applications reviewed by an independent Review Committee consisting of 13 international experts in breast cancer, chaired by Dr Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
- Anna Cabanes, Senior Advisor, Global Focus on Cancer, USA
- Corinne Balleyguier, Radiologist, Gustave Roussy, France
- Freddy Gnangnon, Professor of Surgical Oncology, Faculty of Health Science Cotonou, Benin
- John Scheel, Associate Professor, University of Washington, USA
- Leshia Hansen, Cancer Screening and Prevention Content and Board Manager, US NCI, USA
- Maira Caleffi, President, FEMAMA, Brazil
- Maurício Magalhães Costa , President, International Senology Society, Brazil
- Miriam Mutebi, Vice President, AORTIC, Kenya
- Mishka Cira, Public Health Advisor, National Cancer Institute, USA
- Ranjit Kaur, Board Member, Reach to Recovery International, Malaysia
- Saunthari Somasundaram, President, National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Malaysia
- Temidayo Fadelu, Physician Medical Oncology, Instructor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, USA
- Verna Vanderpuye, Consultant, National Center for Radiotherapy, Ghana
“Survival rates for breast cancer are highest when it is detected early, accompanied by timely access to treatment,” said ASCO Chief Medical Officer Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO. “It’s critical that we support innovative programs enabling early diagnosis for all patients so they may have the best chances for a good outcome. We applaud these new grants for organizations working to improve early detection as an important step toward this goal.”
– Dr Julie Gralow, Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
UICC has a long history of building capacity for cancer organisations globally through grant making.
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Last update
Tuesday 19 November 2024