60% of Breast Cancer Cases in Dominican Republic Detected in Advanced Stages

More than six out of ten breast cancer cases in the Dominican Republic are detected when the disease is already in advanced stages, according to data from the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (SISALRIL). The country recorded 11,720 diagnoses in 2024 — 11,162 women and 558 men — and the Seguro Familiar de Salud (SFS) allocated RD$6,194 million for cancer care Source: elcaribe.

Late diagnosis crisis

Around 60% of women arrive at the health system with advanced breast cancer, drastically reducing treatment effectiveness and survival chances Source: diariolibre. The problem is widespread across all insurance regimes: the Subsidized Regime concentrated 6,498 cases, the Contributive Regime 4,805, and special plans 417 Source: elcaribe.

Pilot response: ImpulSALUD

To tackle late detection, Roche and the National Health Insurance (SeNaSa) launched ImpulSALUD, a pilot project that will strengthen primary care screening. The Dominican Republic was selected alongside Costa Rica and Panama for the regional initiative, which will involve the Ministry of Public Health and the National Health Service Source: elcaribe. Melissa Delgado, Corporate Affairs Director at Roche, explained that the project will start by mapping patients' journeys to identify barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment Source: elcaribe.

Expert perspective

International health specialist Martín Sabignoso emphasized that early detection improves outcomes and reduces costs. “Treatments are much more effective when they start working in the initial stages of the disease, and that also means a lower financial effort for the health system,” he said Source: diariolibre. He argued that strengthening first-level care would build population trust and allow earlier risk identification Source: diariolibre.