Pink October 2026 in Algeria: breast cancer screening, where and how to get checked

Every October the pink ribbons come back — and with them a question many women keep postponing: “Should I get screened, and how?”. In Algeria the answer deserves to be clear, because the numbers are.

Breast cancer in Algeria, in numbers

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Algerian women: more than 13,000 new cases are recorded every year, 46% of all female cancers, according to the figures the Ministry of Health gave when launching Pink October 2025 (L'Express). It causes about 4,200 deaths a year. In response, a national strategy for 2025-2035 was adopted in May 2025 with a stated goal: halve the number of cases through prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment (Réveil d'Algérie).

Why screening changes everything

Caught early, breast cancer is cured in the great majority of cases, with lighter treatment. Caught late, it becomes far harder to treat. That is the whole point of screening: finding the tumour before it shows, while it is still small. The World Health Organization notes that early diagnosis and fast access to care are the two levers that bring mortality down.

The three levels of screening

• Knowing your breasts: looking and feeling regularly to spot any change — a lump, a change in the skin or nipple, discharge, a redness that persists. It is not a medical exam, but it is what most often brings a woman to consult in time.
• The clinical exam: done by a general practitioner or a gynaecologist during a consultation, it complements self-awareness and points to imaging when needed.
• Mammography: the reference X-ray exam, often completed by an ultrasound. It is prescribed by the doctor; when to start and how often depend on your age, your family history and your personal history — a decision to make with them.

Where to get screened in Algeria

Mammograms are done in the radiology departments of hospitals and public health facilities, in the anti-cancer centres (CAC) and in private imaging practices and centres. During Pink October, awareness and screening campaigns run across the wilayas; in 2025 two mobile clinics fitted with mammography units toured several wilayas of the South and West, a first the ministry wants to extend. Ask your nearest facility or your wilaya's health directorate about this year's actions.

The simplest entry point is still a consultation: a gynaecologist or your general practitioner assesses your situation and prescribes the right exam; a radiologist performs and reads it. On Yadoct you can find a doctor near you, see their hours and book online without a phone call.

Signs that call for a prompt consultation

A lump or hardening in the breast or under the arm, a change in size or shape, skin that puckers or looks like orange peel, a nipple that turns inward or leaks, a redness or pain that persists: none of these means “cancer”, but each deserves a prompt consultation. And a prompt consultation is exactly what online booking makes possible — without waiting for a slot on the phone.