A study by the Brazilian Association of Diagnostic Medicine, indicates a 46.4% drop in the number of mammograms performed between March and August 2020, when compared to the same period in 2019 (Abramed, 2020).

According to estimates by the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the most incident cancer among women and the leading cause of female cancer mortality in Brazil; Institute estimates for the triennium 2020 2022, indicate 66,280 new cases of the disease per year (INCA, 2020).

Despite the high incidence of the disease, data from the study Panorama of Breast Cancer Care, based on SUS records, indicate that mammography coverage in Brazil between 2015 and 2019 was only 23%, suggesting that 47% of breast cancer diagnoses are made in the advanced stage (Avon Institute and Oncology Observatory, 2020).

These are alarming figures that awaken us to the urgent need to further expand our examination donation programme.

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