Late diagnosis hampers cancer treatment

He stated that even though they are taking breast cancer at the hospital seriously, they are hampered by the lateness. "Patients are diagnosed when the cancer is very advanced and consequently poor treatment results," he told a breast cancer symposium organised by Botswana Cancer Association and NRH over the weekend. He said that in the past five years, about 130 patients have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Only a small number (52) of the patients had operable cancers as a majority underwent toilet mastectomy.

Mcharo said that out of the 52 patients, who were operated, only one had stage one cancer. Another one had stage two cancer.