Professor’s fight against breast cancer gets R3 million research boost

The fight against breast cancer could soon take a major step forward because South African research is moving closer to faster diagnosis and targeted treatment.

A grant of R3 million awarded to a University of Pretoria (UP) professor could help transform how doctors detect and treat the country’s most common cancer among women, while giving patients a better chance of living longer.

Breast cancer remains the leading cancer affecting women in South Africa and worldwide. Yet many patients still receive a diagnosis only after the disease has spread. That reality places pressure on families and the public healthcare system.

However, new advances in nuclear medicine could change that picture.

HOW COULD THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER CHANGE?

Professor Mike Sathekge, head of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at UP and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, has received the 2025 Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award.

The R3 million grant will help him complete research into theranostics, an approach that combines diagnosis and treatment.

Theranostics uses specialised radioactive compounds to identify cancer cells and deliver treatment with precision. Doctors can detect tumours earlier, monitor how treatment works and adapt care to each patient.

Because treatment targets cancer cells more accurately, healthy tissue receives less unnecessary exposure.

Sathekge believes this approach could reshape cancer care. He says earlier diagnosis, combined with personalised treatment, improves the chances of successful outcomes.

His long-term vision compares the progress against breast cancer with the transformation seen in HIV treatment, where medical advances changed a fatal illness into a manageable condition.

WHY DOES SOUTH AFRICA NEED THIS BREAKTHROUGH?

The need is clear because many South Africans reach specialist care too late.

A recent study published in the South African Medical Journal found that 67% of breast cancer patients in the public healthcare sector already had late-stage disease when diagnosed. By that stage, the cancer had spread beyond the breast, reducing survival prospects.

Researchers also warn that cancer cases in South Africa will continue to rise because the population is growing, people are living longer, and disease patterns are changing. Better screening and earlier diagnosis will therefore become even more important.

WHAT DOES THE GRANT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE?

The Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award is one of South Africa’s most competitive research grants. Sathekge’s proposal was selected from 80 nominations covering disciplines ranging from tuberculosis research to environmental science and climate studies.

The funding now allows his team to refine theranostics and move closer to making it more widely available. That matters because scientific discoveries only improve lives when patients can access them.

The fight against breast cancer depends on earlier detection, accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

This investment strengthens South Africa’s contribution to global medical research and offers renewed hope that more women will receive the right care at the right time.