October has been designated as the Pink Month in a global effort to
draw attention to issues relating to breast cancer. The ultimate goal is
to educate everyone about the disease and, consequently, reduce to the
barest minimum the incident of breast cancer.
Oncologists say breast cancer is the most common cancer in women
worldwide, representing 16 per cent of all female cancers. Again,
scientific studies have found that women have a 12 per cent lifetime
risk of developing breast cancer, though individual risks may be higher
or lower than that. “Individual risk is affected by many different
factors, such as family history, reproductive history, lifestyle,
environment, and others,” researchers say.
For instance, in terms of unhealthy lifestyle, research has shown
that taking two alcoholic drinks a day could increase breast cancer risk
by 21 percent. However, most people who develop breast cancer may be
teetotalers.
The World Health Organisation Global Burden of Disease estimates that
519,000 women died in 2004 alone due to breast cancer, with the
majority (69 per cent) of all breast cancer deaths occurring in
developing countries such as Nigeria.
Why cancer kills
Ordinarily, experts say, being diagnosed with breast cancer does not
necessarily mean that you’ve been handed a death sentence. But that only
means your symptoms are diagnosed at the earliest stage and tackled
headlong.
Experts say though the developed world has achieved great strides in
reducing the incident of breast cancer and the associated death rates,
less developed countries such ours have continued to record low survival
rates — a situation that can be attributed mainly to the lack of early
detection programmes.
According to the Head of Oncology Unit, Lagos University Teaching
Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Prof. Remi Ajekigbe, Nigeria records high
death rate from breast cancer mainly because a high proportion of women
present with late-stage disease.
Until recently, most tertiary centres in Nigeria lack adequate
diagnosis and treatment facilities, a situation that also contributed
hugely to the mortality rate among women with the disease.
Symptoms
The online portal, breastcancer.org, notes that, initially, breast
cancer may not cause any symptoms. It states that you may not even feel
or notice a small lump; or, where it is present, the lump may be too
small to cause any unusual changes that you can notice on your own.
Usually, physicians say, it’s only when you do a mammogram (X-ray of
the breast) that the machine picks an abnormal area, following which the
doctor will recommend further testing.
The American Cancer Society proffers that in some cases, the first
sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or
your doctor can feel.
“A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely
to be cancer,” Ajekigbe warns. He adds, “But sometimes, cancers can be
tender, soft, and rounded. So it’s important to have anything unusual
checked by your doctor.”
The oncologist advises all women to have a clinical breast exam at
least every three years; and annual exams and mammograms starting at age
40. “Women with a family history of breast cancer should begin
screening 10 years prior to the family member’s age of diagnosis,”
Ajekigbe adds.
The American Cancer Society says any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:
• Swelling of all or part of the breast
• Skin irritation or dimpling
• Breast pain
• Nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• A nipple discharge other than breast milk
• A lump in the underarm area
Of course, physicians say, these changes can also be signs of less
serious conditions that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a
cyst. But, in order to be sure, it’s important to get any breast changes
checked out promptly by a doctor, experts advise.
Improving survival rate
At the launch of a new set of cancer diagnosing machines — Ventana
Benchmark GX — donated by Roche Pharma, Nigeria, to LUTH last week, the
Country Manager, Mr. Charles Forjour, says using the Benchmark GX will
help physicians to differentiate the type of breast cancer an individual
has, as well as enabling oncologists to determine the best medication a
particular patient will benefit from.
The Head of Department of Pathology Unit of LUTH, Prof. Abdulkareem
Fatimah, said, “With this machine, you eliminate trial and error, as
well as the long period of waiting for manual test. “As for the
patients, it saves them the stress of paying for ticket, hotel bills,
visa fees and the high cost of seeing a foreign oncologist or oncology
surgeon.”
The hospital’s Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun, noted that when
the machine becomes operational, breast cancer diagnosis and treatment
will be based on clinical evidence, which will ultimately lead to
increased survival among patients.
“It will improve the quality of test and immunohistochemistry report
by the pathologist; and at the same time, enhance local research in
cancers, which will ultimately help in gathering local data for clinical
and policy decisions,” Osibogun said.
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