The most common cancer in South African women
Breast cancer
One in roughly every 26 South African women will develop breast cancer. Found at Stage 1, about nine in ten women are alive five years later. Found at Stage 4, that number collapses. Everything on this page exists to move you left along that line.
✓ Reviewed by the Ubufazi clinical reviewers Evidence grade A Last reviewed 26 August 2026
Book a free screening Find care near meKnow your normal
There is no “correct” breast. Yours may be lumpy, uneven, tender before your period, and all of that can be entirely normal for you. What matters is change: something that is new, that stays for more than two weeks, and that you cannot explain.
Check once a month, the same week each month
- Look in a mirror, arms down, then raised. Watch for dimpling, puckering, or a nipple that has turned inward.
- Feel with the flat of three fingers, in small circles, from collarbone to bra line, and into the armpit.
- Squeeze the nipple gently. Note any discharge, especially if it is bloody.
- Repeat lying down, tissue spreads out and is easier to read.
- Write down anything new, with the date. Take that note to the clinic.
Go to a clinic within one week if you find
A new lump in the breast or armpit · a nipple that has newly turned inward · blood-stained discharge · skin that looks dimpled like orange peel · a rash or scaling on the nipple · one breast that has newly changed shape or size.
Eight out of ten breast lumps are not cancer. Getting it checked is how you find out, not a reason to delay.
Treatment in South Africa
What actually happens, in both sectors
| Step | Public sector | Private sector | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| First examination | Free at your local clinic, nurse-led clinical breast exam | GP or specialist consultation | Same week |
| Referral for imaging | Referral letter to a district or regional hospital breast unit | Direct booking | 2–8 weeks |
| Mammogram / ultrasound | Free with referral | PMB-covered once cancer is suspected | 1–6 weeks |
| Biopsy & histology | Free at the breast unit | PMB-covered | 1–3 weeks for results |
| Surgery | Free at a regional or tertiary hospital | Scheme-funded (PMB) | 2–8 weeks |
| Chemotherapy / radiotherapy | Free at a designated oncology centre | Scheme-funded (PMB), designated provider rules apply | Per protocol |
Waiting times vary by province and facility. If your wait exceeds these ranges, ask the facility manager for an escalation, in writing, and keep a copy.
Questions women actually ask
Straight answers
What does a breast lump feel like?
Cancerous lumps are more often hard, with an irregular edge, and fixed rather than rolling under the finger, but plenty are not. A lump that is new to you and stays past one menstrual cycle needs a clinician, whatever it feels like.
Is a mammogram painful?
It is briefly uncomfortable, the breast is compressed for a few seconds per image. Booking in the week after your period usually makes it easier.
I am 32 with a lump. Am I too young for it to be cancer?
No. Breast cancer is less common under 40 but it happens, and in South Africa younger women often present later. Age is never a reason to wait.
Does breastfeeding lower my risk?
Breastfeeding modestly lowers lifetime risk, and the longer the total duration, the greater the effect. It does not remove the need to check.
My mother had breast cancer. What should I do differently?
Tell your clinic. As a general rule, discuss starting mammography ten years before the age at which your relative was diagnosed, and ask whether genetic counselling for BRCA1/BRCA2 is appropriate.
Can men get breast cancer?
Yes, though rarely, roughly one in a hundred cases. A lump behind the nipple in a man should be checked promptly.
This page is information, not a diagnosis
Ubufazi never diagnoses and never prescribes. If something on this page describes you, take it to a registered health professional this week. Care at a public clinic is free at the point of use.