Breast cancer patients urged to tell their stories

Breast cancer patients should be given space to share their individual experiences, as no two diagnoses, treatment journeys or outcomes are the same, Cancer Association of Namibia chief executive Rolf Hansen says.

Hansen was speaking ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, observed globally throughout October.

This year’s World Health Organisation (WHO) theme is ‘Every Story is Unique, Every Journey Matters’, highlighting the different experiences of people affected by breast cancer and the need for timely diagnosis and quality care.

Hansen said the theme emphasises the importance of listening to patients and recognising that breast cancer cannot be treated as a single experience.

“Even when you have two breast cancer patients, we tend to generalise and to just say, oh, it is a cancer patient. Oh, it is another breast cancer case. They are not,” he said.