(global) A new survey finds 22-42% of Europeans believe women with advanced breast cancer should keep their disease a secret - social stigma

Medical News Today

 The report highlights the extent of the social stigma associated with incurable breast cancer. 22-42% people across five European countries (France 22%, UK 24%, Germany 27%, Poland 33%, Turkey 42%2) feel that patients with metastatic breast cancer should not talk about their disease with anyone other than their physician.¹ This social stigma is often driven by misunderstandings of the disease. 24-59% believe that metastatic breast cancer patients did not take preventive measures and are in some way responsible for their disease.^2....

 About the Global Decade Report
The Global Status of Metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC): A 2005 - 2015 Decade Report, developed by Pfizer in collaboration with the European School of Oncology (ESO), assesses the status of mBC in terms of patient care, the wider breast cancer environment and scientific advances and developments.
The analysis is based on three newly commissioned primary surveys examining current perceptions of the state of breast cancer among the general public, patient advocacy groups, Breast Cancer Centres, oncologists and nurses in 34 countries around the world. This included the first survey of the global population's perceptions of mBC fielded in 14 countries and involving 14,315 adults (both mBC patients and non-patients). In Europe, the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Turkey participated.
In addition, secondary analyses were conducted, and included an analysis of existing breast cancer resources and more than 3,000 previously published articles and abstracts, to determine the global mBC landscape over the past decade.
This report is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the global advanced and metastatic breast cancer landscape over the past decade, and was developed with guidance from a global steering committee of multidisciplinary leaders in the mBC community.
The late breaking abstract Global Status of Advanced/ Metastatic Breast Cancer (ABC/mBC): A Decade Report 2005-2015 (7LBA) were presented today at the 10th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC) in Amsterdam by Fatima Cardoso, MD, director, Breast Unit at Champalimaud Clinical Center in Lisbon. The late breaking abstract was part of the plenary session "Keynote Lecture, Oral and Late Breaking Abstracts", 09:45-11:15, March 11th 2016.