The physical, psychological and emotional toll of metastatic breast cancer is considerable, but for too long, women with metastatic breast cancer have been largely forgotten in the public discourse. Many feel ‘invisible’ within the breast cancer community, as there is such a strong focus on early detection and survival.
There is a need to address the inequalities faced by women affected by metastatic breast cancer and much can be done to improve their lives.
We created a number of reports about the state of care for metastatic breast cancer in countries across the world, to raise awareness of this important type of cancer. Individual reports (country profiles) were created for Mexico, Israel and South Korea, along with regional reports for Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
The reports convey key facts and figures regarding metastatic breast cancer and outline unmet needs in terms of public and professional awareness, management and care, and information and support services for patients.
The Mexican country profile was launched publicly in August 2016. It has been endorsed by leading Mexican breast cancer patient organisations (Tómatelo a Pecho and Fundación CIMAB), the national association against cancer (Asociación Mexicana de Lucha contra el Cáncer) and the national cancer institute (Instituto Nacional de Cancerología).
The project was initiated and funded by Pfizer.