Different Routes, Similar Destination: Building Breast Care Models in Tanzania, Zambia, and Colombia

PurposeCancer is becoming an urgent problem in low- and middle-income countries as the global burden of disease shifts from infectious to noncommunicable diseases. Whereas cervical cancer and breast cancer are preventable and treatable, these diseases are the leading causes of women’s cancer deaths in low-resource settings, mostly because of late-stage presentation and limited diagnostic and treatment capacities.MethodsUsing the Breast Health Global Initiative resource-stratified guidelines and a phased implementation approach, countries with resource constraints have designed and implemented breast cancer interventions that allow for a balanced, efficient, and equitable use of limited resources.ResultsTanzania, Zambia, and a rural area of Colombia serve as examples of evidence-based approaches to the implementation of breast cancer control programs, leveraging the successes and experiences of existing care platforms—mostly cervical cancer and HIV—while creating a solid foundation for country ownership an...