In 2025, the Ministry of Health’s National Epidemiology Unit reported that invasive ductal carcinoma, the most common type of breast cancer, which begins in the milk ducts and can spread beyond the breast, continued to be the leading cause of cancer-related death among women and a major cause of premature death.
World Health Organisation (WHO) research also shows breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, but survival rates can vary significantly depending on where a woman lives. The WHO estimates that 41.9 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer in low-income countries are expected to survive at least five years, compared with 87.3 per cent in high-income countries.
The WHO attributes these disparities to several factors, including late diagnosis and access to timely, high-quality treatment.
Against that backdrop, Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity for renewed attention to screening and early detection services in Saint Lucia, including free breast cancer screenings available through the Universal Health Coverage programme (SLUHC).
Services covered include:
Physical examination and patient education
3D mammograms
Follow-up ultrasounds where needed
Needle procurement for biopsy
Biopsy procedures
Processing of biopsy samples
The screenings are available through wellness centres, hospitals, and SLUHC partnering facilities.
Health practitioners have long warned that breast cancer does not always cause symptoms in its early stages. However, in cases where signs do emerge, they may show up as a lump or thickening in the breast, changes in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast, dimpling, redness, pitting or other skin changes, changes in the appearance of the nipple, or unusual or bloody discharge from the nipple.
The public is encouraged to contact Wellness Centres for more information on the no-cost screenings.
SLUHC partnering facilities include community wellness centres, district polyclinics, the Dr Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic, and the Dr Martin Didier Polyclinic.
After a primary healthcare provider at a wellness centre refers you, you can receive free mammograms (including 3D mammography) at the Millennium Heights Medical Complex and St Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort.
