Barriers and challenges in providing standard breast cancer care in low resource settings

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the barriers to the delivery of internationally accepted breast cancer care in low resource settings (LRS) as compared to well-endowed resource settings (WRS) via an online survey. The survey was completed by 199 surgeons from eleven countries: 51 from WRS and 148 from LRS, based on our definition. The two most common facilities lacking in LRS were sentinel lymph node biopsy and immune-histochemistry (67% and 60% respectively). Only 22% respondents from LRS confirmed that all their eligible patients received hormonal therapy and only 8% radiotherapy as compared to 98% and 75% from WRS. Widespread limitations exist in most LRS, making internationally accepted breast cancer treatment guidelines impossible to follow, and thus resulting in suboptimal cancer care.