As breast cancer statistics in The Bahamas remain frightening, Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands said there is a great need to establish more robust machinery for local breast cancer research.

In 1999, the incidence of breast cancer in The Bahamas measured 32 out of 100,000 women.

In 2014, 62.9 percent of 100,000 Bahamian women were diagnosed with breast cancer, a potentially deadly disease that attacks with ferocity.

“Early breast cancer is curable and screening detected breast cancer has the best outcome. Yet we still believe that prevention is better than cure,” Dr. Sands said.

Dr. Sands added that partnering with the private sector may be best to provide better access to the research needed to combat the disease, which he said will answer a number of questions.

“For instance, why do so many Bahamian women have breast cancer? Why are there so many young women contracting the disease? Why is it so aggressive in some patients and not in others? And why, with all the access to healthcare do women continue to present themselves at the advance stages of the disease?” he said. 

“A productive research environment can provide the needed answers to these questions. 

“Such research is only and integral part of the bigger strategic plan to provide greater collaboration and coordination of care from prevention to rehabilitation for those affected by breast cancer.

“Research can also provide access to clinical trials for patients who do not respond to standard treatments.” 

Dr. Sands said much more needs to be done to combat this dreadful disease and pledged the Ministry of Health’s commitment to doing so.