Breast Cancer Care in Jordan

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in Jordan and the third leading cause of cancer death after lung and colorectal cancers. Although the incidence of breast cancer in Jordan is lower than that in industrialized nations, the number of new cases has been significantly increasing, and women present with breast cancer at a younger age and with more advanced disease than women in Western countries. Jordan is a medium-income country with limited resources and a young population structure. Therefore, breast cancer poses a particularly challenging burden on the country’s health care system. Despite ongoing endeavors to improve breast cancer care at both public and private levels, more work is needed to achieve downstaging of the disease and improve access, awareness, and participation in early detection. Multimodality treatment facilities and supportive care are available; however, the quality of care varies widely according to where the patient is treated, and most treatment facilities remain located centrally, thus, creating access difficulties. The King Hussein Cancer Center, the only comprehensive cancer center in Jordan, has changed the practice of oncology in the country via implementation of a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, monitoring of treatment outcomes, and investments in ongoing cancer research. However, there remains no national system for ensuring provision of high-quality cancer care nationwide. Here, we review the epidemiology of breast cancer and the current status of breast cancer care in Jordan, we compare our treatment outcomes with international ones, and we highlight challenges and improvement opportunities.