Egypt ministry: women's health initiative lifted early breast cancer detection to 61.3%

Egypt's Health Ministry released a study showing its presidential women's health initiative raised early breast cancer detection rates and returned more than it cost.

• Egypt's Health Ministry said the study, published October 23, 2026 in the Q1 journal APH, drew on data from 24 million women and 53 million visits from July 2019 to September 2024.
• The ministry reported early-stage breast cancer detection reached 61.3%, against 41.6% in the comparison scenario, extending diagnosed patients' lives by an average of 1.5 years each.
• The ministry calculated the initiative's economic benefits exceeded costs by about 12 billion pounds, with every pound spent returning roughly 1.5 pounds.
• Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the study provides scientific evidence that investing in women's health yields tangible economic and social returns.