Bridging Gaps in Breast Cancer Care: A Breast Cancer Care Quality Index to Improve Outcomes Worldwide

As a Member of the AstraZeneca Global Breast Cancer Care Council multidisciplinary group of experts, I am pleased to welcome and endorse the publication of Bridging Gaps in Breast Cancer Care: A Breast Cancer Care Quality Index to Improve Outcomes Worldwide in ecancermedicalscience, which establishes a substantive and enduring framework through which global commitments can be translated into nationally actionable strategies to improve outcomes for women everywhere.

Conceived as an evidence-supported, methodological, and practical instrument, the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index aligns with the World Health Organization’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative and provides structured guidance for countries to strengthen early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment, while advancing the essential dimensions of equity, patient-centredness, universal access, quality, and effectiveness.

By articulating clear targets and indicators, the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index serves as a catalyst for country-led roadmaps, refined through real-world application, bridging the long-recognised gap between global frameworks and implementation at health system and facility levels across diverse contexts.

An average 2.5 percent annual reduction in breast cancer mortality could avert 2.5 million deaths by 2040, a trajectory dependent upon data that illuminate systemic bottlenecks and policies that secure timely, recommended care. The Breast Cancer Care Quality Index advances this organising logic, equipping policymakers, clinicians, and advocates to accelerate progress where the burden is most acute.

I commend Policy Wisdom for their stewardship in the development of this framework, together with the distinguished co-authors and my fellow members of the Global Breast Cancer Care Council, whose scholarly rigour and engagement have ensured its design and global applicability.

Through my role on the Council, I remain committed to sharing the Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s insights, as we continue collaboration with governments, health systems, civil society, industry, and the patient advocacy community to support responsible uptake, measurement, and sustained impact, so that quality becomes the universal standard for every woman, everywhere.

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Bridging Gaps in Breast Cancer Care: A Breast Cancer Care Quality Index to Improve Outcomes Worldwide

Bridging Gaps in Breast Cancer Care: A Breast Cancer Care Quality Index to Improve Outcomes Worldwide

Toyin Ojora Saraki

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