Barbados has the highest breast cancer death rate in the world, with younger women also facing more aggressive forms of the disease, medical oncologist and haematologist Dr Trena Stoute has warned.
Speaking during the Innovative Surgery Centre’s breast cancer lecture, held under the theme Breast Cancer Doesn’t Wait: What Young Women Need To Know About Risk, Diagnosis And Treatment at the National Union of Public Workers headquarters at Dalkeith, St Michael, on Thursday evening, Stoute stressed the importance of early detection, lifestyle changes and access to appropriate treatment.
“Barbados has the highest breast cancer death rate in the world, partly because many of our cancers appear younger and more aggressive,” she said.
Stoute explained that although women aged 40 and under accounted for about five to seven per cent of breast cancer cases, the disease remained a serious concern for this group because diagnosis was often delayed, leading to poorer outcomes.
Triple-negative
She noted that one in four breast cancer cases in Barbados was triplenegative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype that presented particular treatment challenges.
Stoute explained that younger women were not routinely screened unless they were considered at increased risk and their symptoms could initially be mistaken for other conditions.
She urged women to pay attention to changes in their breasts and seek medical attention promptly, regardless of age.
“Young women usually feel the lump first and about 84 per cent of them, that’s how most of them find that something is wrong and that there’s breast cancer,” she said.
She also identified obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and smoking among the factors that could increase breast cancer risk.
Stoute recommended at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, maintaining a healthy weight, eating more fruits and vegetables and limiting highly processed foods.
“They have not found any amount of alcohol that is safe to drink, so the less you drink, the better. If you could drink none, that would be best,” she said.
However, she cautioned that healthy habits could not guarantee that a woman would never develop breast cancer, as the disease could result from a combination of factors, including inherited genetic mutations.
Stoute also highlighted advances in treatment, including hormoneblocking medication, targeted therapies and immunotherapy. However, she said the high cost of immunotherapy meant some patients, particularly those without insurance or sufficient financial resources, struggled to access it.
Despite these challenges, she said survival rates had improved significantly, with five-year survival approaching 99 per cent for women with early-stage breast cancer.
“Overall survival for breast cancer is up to 91 per cent from 75 per cent in the 1970s. Early detection and the treatments that we have, do work. We just need women to come forward early when they notice a change,” she said.
Awareness
Consultant general and breast surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Dr Dale Springer, also highlighted the importance of breast awareness.
He cited Barbados National Cancer Registry figures showing that 209 breast cancer cases were diagnosed in 2022, accounting for 21.3 per cent of all new female cancer cases.
Springer also shared findings from a local study conducted at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital between September 2024 and August 2025. Of the 41 patients included, three, or 7.3 per cent, were under 40, while seven, or 17.1 per cent, were under 45.
He cautioned that the small sample size meant the findings could not be generalised to the wider population, but said they highlighted the need for continued awareness.
Springer said women should know their family histories, including cases of breast and ovarian cancer on both sides of the family and seek assessment if they noticed a lump, nipple discharge, skin dimpling or persistent breast swelling.
“Knowing how their breasts look and feel is something that they should do at least once a month. Know what is normal for you and that there is an abnormality,” he said.
He stressed that a breast cancer diagnosis was not automatically a death sentence and that treatment decisions should be tailored to each patient.
“It’s not an immediate death sentence, even a long-term death sentence,” he said, noting that breast cancer was one of the most treatable and curable cancers.
General secretary of the National Union of Public Workers, Richard Green, said the union considered the health and wellness of its members as important.
“One of the things that we do as an organisation here is not only look after the general work interests of workers, but the overall health and wellness of our members is very paramount to our objectives; what we do as a union,” he said.
Green said the union supported initiatives that helped members and the wider public become better informed about health issues. (TRY)