breast cancer

"Had I not seen that photo, I would have assumed that it was an indentation from the underwire of my bra," Chieze, 38, a nursing student at West Hills College in Lemoore, California, told CNN.

Within five days of noticing the indentation, she was told she likely had breast cancer. A month later, doctors told her it was stage IV; the cancer had metastasized outside the breast.

"I knew all about self exams," Chieze wrote on Facebook last week, "but a picture of what to look for keyed me into knowing I had a terminal disease."

Late-stage disease is found in about 25% of black African and 22% of black Caribbean breast cancer patients.

In white breast cancer patients, the figure is 13%.

Experts say there are many reasons for this. Vital ones to change are low awareness of symptoms and screening.

According to Cancer Research UK, black women are less likely than white women to go for a mammogram when invited by the NHS.

Spotting cancer early is important because the sooner it can be treated, the better the outcome.

The 36-year-old Auckland Central MP issued a statement saying the news was devastating for her and her family.

On her Facebook page, Ms Kaye said she informed Prime Minister John Key on Friday and would be taking leave of absence from her ministerial roles.

"I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family and group of friends who are giving me buckets of love and have been so strong helping me work through this," she wrote.

"I also want to acknowledge the PM who has been hugely caring and supportive."

She is also the longest survivor in PNG to have lived after being diagnosed with breast cancer first in 1994, and then again for cancer of the uterus (endometrial cancer) in 1995.

Her story is an inspiration; displaying bravery and strong mind power during an era where the disease called cancer was not known by many in PNG.

While others younger than her diagnosed with cancer have already died, Poio lives to tell her story.