October 2025 — Breast cancer remains the leading cancer among women in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Tragically, too many are diagnosed late—when treatment options are limited and outcomes are poor. Early detection changes everything.
Breast cancer is curable. When breast cancer is detected early and treated properly, survival rates exceed 80%. That means lives saved, families kept whole, and futures secured for women and their families.
The Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) provides a clear roadmap that focuses on:
Early detection
Timely diagnosis
Comprehensive management
With the endorsement of the Cairo Call to Action by the Regional Committee, WHO, Member States and partners reaffirm commitment to equity, innovation, and patient-centred care.
This endorsement creates a powerful opportunity to move toward achieving the 60–60–80 targets. These are ambitious but achievable by GBCI set goals:
60%
of breast cancers diagnosed at an early stage
60%
of patients receiving timely diagnosis
80%
survival rate for those treated
However, policies alone are not sufficient. Engaging all stakeholders, particularly individuals with lived experience, in the decision-making process is essential to ensure effective and inclusive outcomes addressing real needs and realities.
Without scaled-up interventions, breast cancer-related economic losses in the Region will reach US$408 billion by 2050. However, investing in early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment offers a compelling return—US$6.4 to 7.8 for every US$1 invested.
Identifying concrete recommendations that countries can implement—aligned with the GBCI roadmap and the Cairo Call to Action—can make patient-centred breast cancer care a reality across our Region.
Key figures
1. Breast Cancer: #1 cancer among women in the Region
Breast cancer is the most common and lethal cancer among women in our Region. This calls for urgent, coordinated action to improve early detection and access to quality care.
2. Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI): 60–60–80
The GBCI sets ambitious but achievable goals:
- 60% of breast cancers diagnosed at an early stage
- 60% of patients receiving timely diagnosis
- 80% survival rate for those treated
3. 80% Survival Rate is achievable
When breast cancer is caught early and treated properly, survival rates exceed 80%— securing futures for women and their families.
4. Every US$1 invested in breast cancer offers a compelling return —US$6.4 to 7.8.
Countries commitment to fight breast cancer
Early 2025, policymakers, health leaders, and experts from different parts of the world met together in Cairo to discuss strategies for closing the equity gap and accelerating innovation in breast cancer care.
Building on these deliberations, the Cairo Call to Action was launched, outlining a set of key commitments to drive progress across the Region. It serves as a practical and unifying framework to galvanize partnerships and scale up proven, effective, evidence-based and innovative interventions, ensuring that no woman is left behind. The Call to Action represents a tangible step toward advancing regional solidarity and sustained collective action for women’s health and well-being throughout the Region and beyond.
During the RC72 session (15-17 October 2025) 21 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region endorsed the Cairo Call to Action. WHO and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Member States in implementing the Cairo Call to Action and advancing a new era of regional solidarity and global cooperation in breast cancer care.
