Breast Cancer 'Taboo' In Sudan

The centre set up by Dr Fadl, who is receiving an OBE, was the first to diagnose and treat breast cancer in Sudan (Dean Calma/IAEA)

Breast cancer accounts for around a third of all cancers developed by women in Sudan, experts say. But fighting the disease has been a daunting tasks, one of the women leading the campaign has told the BBC.

Dr Hania Morsi Fadl, founder of the Khartoum Breast Cancer Centre, said the disease is being seen as a taboo and many consider it as a death sentence.

"When a husband knows his wife has breast cancer, he neglects her and marry another one thinking she will die soon and so she will be left alone," she said. However, things are changing slowly as awareness billboards can be seen in parts of the capital, Khartoum, and other places, said Dr Fadl, who is in London to receive an award for her services to improving health care for women.