Special edition: Breast cancer as a global development challenge

Special edition: Breast cancer as a global development challenge

From This Week in Global Development by Devex | Global Development

April 8, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

This episode discusses breast cancer as a significant global development challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

In this special episode of This Week in Global Development, we explore breast cancer not just as a health challenge, but as a critical development challenge. In low- and middle-income countries, or LMICs, a breast cancer diagnosis can have a devastating ripple effect that extends far beyond the clinic, impacting households, communities, and entire systems. Hosted in partnership with The Pfizer Foundation , Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Darren Back, Dr. Loice Sitienei, and Dr. Patrick Loehrer to explore why integrated breast cancer care strengthens both health systems and economic resilience, ultimately improving outcomes for women facing this disease. The conversation underscores the systemic barriers to breast cancer care in LMICs, where limited infrastructure and high costs often lead to delays in diagnosis. The Pfizer Foundation's Action and Impact initiative, a philanthropic investment now totaling $25 million across five sub-Saharan African countries, aims to expand access to timely breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care. By supporting partners working with local and national governments to advance access to care, the…

People in this episode

Host: Kate Warren

Guests: Darren Back, Dr. Loice Sitienei, Dr. Patrick Loehrer

Topics covered

  • breast cancer
  • global health
  • development challenge
  • health systems
  • economic resilience
  • LMICs

Keywords

  • breast cancer
  • global development
  • health systems
  • economic resilience
  • LMICs
  • diagnosis
  • treatment

Sponsors

The Pfizer Foundation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pfizer Inc.

Places: sub-Saharan Africa, low- and middle-income countries

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