ESTABLISHING NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER IN IRAQ: Clinical Implications and Perspectives

In addition to being the most important cancer, breast cancer is often associated with other features that threaten lives of women in Iraq. Studies have documented an exponential rise in the incidence rates of the disease, the prevalence of younger ages and advanced stages at the time of presentation. Mortality estimates displayed that breast cancer is responsible for the highest rate (23%) of deaths from malignancies among Iraqi females. The lack of strategic well designed diagnostic policies and inadequate treatment facilities lead to significantly low five-year survival rates from the disease in Iraq as compared to high-income countries. The outcomes of the Iraqi studies obviously illustrate significant knowledge gaps regarding the relative significance of diagnosing breast cancer in the community and suggest a potential to take practical policy decisions that aim at elevating the level of awareness among Iraqi women The aforementioned findings justify as well increasing efforts for establishing feasible breast cancer control programs in Iraq focusing provisionally on promoting early detection nationwide. A decision to implement screening as part of a cancer control strategy in our country should be preceded by promoting evidence-based guidelines for educating both the public and health care professionals. The present paper demonstrates the clinical implications and perspectives of establishing national guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer in Iraq.