ABSTRACT

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women and the second most common cancer in the Jamaican population. Additionally, Jamaican women have a significant incidence of locally advanced cancer that has been shown to be associated with significant morbidity and inferior treatment outcomes. Delays in presentation and diagnosis further contribute to this treatment dilemma. On this background, a consensus group of healthcare practitioners involved in breast cancer care was convened by a joint initiative of the University of the West Indies and the Association of Surgeons in Jamaica. The objective of this body was to outline management guidelines to assist Jamaican physicians with management of patients with breast cancer. These guidelines are published below and are divided into four main headings: Screening, Making the diagnosis, Treatment and Aftercare. This document is aimed at both specialist and non-specialist physicians and includes an easy-to-follow algorithm as a brief summary of the treatment recommendations.