The Bahamas Among Highest In World For Breast Cancer Cases

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Reports show that The Bahamas has one of the highest rates of breast cancer worldwide, with 135 cases per 100,000 women.

48% are under the age of fifty and 25 per 100,000 women have died as a result of the disease.

Dr. Elizabeth Darville – CEO, Fourth Terrace Diagonistic Centre

“In The Bahamas we have mammograms starting at thirty five but that is not written in stone by any means,” she said.

Dr. Elizabeth Darville has over five decades of experience in the field.

We spoke with Dr. Darville about the importance of mammograms and her professional perspective on why The Bahamas ranks so high globally for breast cancer.

She notes that one factor is the country’s small size with close family ties.

“Part of the reason is there are families in The Bahamas who carry a mutation on their bracket gene. The bracket gene is a gene that promotes breast cancer in your body.”

“If you find a lump, if you feel like something has changed in your breast or whatever don’t just say to yourself I’m not old enough, my youngest breast cancer patient is twenty so if something is wrong you present [it] to your doctor…,” she said.

Dr. Darville advises regular self examinations using four fingers while showering and yearly mammograms for women of the appropriate age.

Additionally she also shares cautionary advice for Bahamian men:

“Men can get breast cancer. Now usually men who get breast cancer, the breast cancer is secondary to some treatment for another cancer and usually that treatment is prostate cancer. The same bracket gene mutation…that helps to develop breast cancer also helps to develop prostate cancer,” she said.