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From challenging misconceptions about breast cancer to incorporating paramedical tattooing for survivors after reconstruction, gather valuable takeaways from Oncology Issues in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October offers a moment to highlight the importance of research and advocacy for a cancer that is both rising in incidence and disproportionately affecting certain populations in the US and globally.
The following initiatives, featured in Oncology Issues, address educational disparities regarding breast cancer, fill gaps in early detection and treatment, encourage innovative approaches to surgery, and meet the psychosocial needs of patients—all integral pieces of the cancer care pathway.
The groundwork for improving outcomes and promoting early detection and prevention is found foremost in comprehensive, culturally competent education. In Nigeria, 50% of breast cancer cases result in death, and breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women aged 15 to 39 years, according to researchers. In addition, a study from Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, found measurable gaps in university students' knowledge of breast cancer facts, as well as a statistically significant prevalence of misconceptions about the disease.
Lack of knowledge can directly affect early detection. Female university students listed this low awareness as a reason, along with forgetfulness and negligence, for not performing monthly breast self-examinations. A key component of preventive care, self-examinations allow an individual to feel early changes in their breast tissue and can prompt earlier intervention if needed. Additionally, common misunderstandings about breast cancer and how it occurs further fuel disparities, ranging from the idea that the disease is transmissible to the ethnoreligious concept of the evil arrow myth, which holds that breast cancer comes from mythical sources.
For these university students, additional misconceptions were clear in the data: Nearly half of study respondents did not know that men can also have breast cancer, half of respondents believed having large breasts was a risk factor, and nearly 70% of respondents believed that underwire bras could cause the disease. The prevalence of these beliefs among a private university population demonstrates the need for more comprehensive, youth-friendly breast cancer education.
The Baheya Foundation is a nonprofit, nongovernmental healthcare organization in Egypt that provides holistic breast cancer care that is free to those who cannot afford it. It was founded by the children of Baheya Wahbi, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1990s and had to leave Egypt to receive advanced treatment. Her vision was to bring high-quality care to the communities that need it most, so patients could stay connected to their daily routines and loved ones throughout their cancer journey.
In a single day and at a single location, patients can receive a full workup, from mammograms to pathology. At Baheya, psychosocial support is central to healing rather than an afterthought: Therapy, caregiver support, and even vocational training help patients achieve greater stability and autonomy. Patients traveling long distances from outlying areas are offered free lodging and meals, further breaking down the socioeconomic and geographic barriers to equitable care.
Early detection is the cornerstone of the foundation's mission, and for good reason: Nearly half of patients treated through Baheya are diagnosed at stage III or IV. To challenge this pattern of advanced disease, Baheya holds awareness seminars in community spaces, tailored to different levels of health literacy. On-site research rounds out the continuum, turning patient data into insights that improve future care.
Bilateral mastectomy, the surgical removal of both breasts, is a valuable practice in breast cancer care that can serve as treatment of the disease or as risk reduction.Despite the growing popularity of the dual surgeon approach in the last two decades, there has been a stark lack of data evaluating time savings and complication rates for this procedure.
To remedy this, a team of breast surgical oncologists and researchers conducted a study that is one of the most extensive evaluations of the procedure to date. The team reviewed charts of 285 dual surgeon bilateral mastectomies performed from 2021 to 2023 at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, evaluating operative time, time to surgery, and complication rates.
The data demonstrated that there are clear benefits to a dual surgeon approach: Shorter anesthesia time decreases risk to the patient, the presence of two working surgeons increases efficiency and maximizes scheduling, and sharing the procedure can also provide valuable training and mentorship opportunities. For programs considering this approach, the authors noted that the procedure works best when two operating rooms are available. Programs also must plan around the fact that the second surgeon cannot see clinic patients while assisting. Altogether, this approach could shorten the time between diagnosis and surgery for patients, reducing anxiety and ultimately improving outcomes.
Long after treatment concludes, survivors of breast cancer are constantly reminded of their experience with the disease every time they look in the mirror. Even with curative outcomes, emotional healing and body image are crucial psychosocial aspects to consider in survivorship care. Paramedical tattooing is one tool to help address these emotional challenges, particularly for breast cancer survivors. This specialized form of tattooing works with often delicate and scarred skin to restore the appearance of various body parts. In the context of breast cancer, this most commonly involves areola and nipple restoration after breast reconstruction surgery.
In an Oncology Issues Views column, Taylor Keeney, an areola restoration tattoo artist, licensed esthetician, and the owner of TayK Cosmetics, explores the importance of this often-overlooked step in the recovery process. Keeney shares how these tattoos can be an integral part of helping women feel like themselves again, reclaim their identity, and truly begin to heal from the trauma of breast cancer.
Keeney's advocacy for this service is paired with practical solutions for cancer centers interested in offering it. Organizations can contract a paramedical tattoo artist to work on site, artists can train staff who are interested in acquiring the proper licensing and experience to tattoo, and networking with paramedical tattoo artists can provide patients with referrals when they are discharged.
Together, these initiatives show that improving breast cancer outcomes takes more than one intervention at one point in time. They include culturally competent education that challenges harmful myths, community-based models that remove financial and geographic barriers, surgical approaches that shorten the path from diagnosis to treatment, and survivorship services that help patients feel whole again. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, these innovations serve as reminders that the most impactful solutions are driven by unmet needs, and that cancer programs in every setting can learn from one another to deliver more equitable, patient-centered care.
Explore additional resources from ACCC in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
From mental health concerns to fertility preservation, adolescents and young adults with cancer require a specialized approach to treatment and survivorship care. In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, ACCC highlights a pivotal program from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and resources that meet the critical needs of these patients.
