Breast Cancer Awareness 2018

by Kunal sood / inAwareness, Breast-cancer, Measures,
Breast Cancer awareness month is observed each year during the month of October to promote awareness around breast cancer and urge authorities and organizations to invest in more research around this condition. In India, every 4 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and every 8 minutes a woman dies of this form of cancer making it the most commonly occurring form of cancer in women. The increasing incidence of occurrence, rising numbers, aggressive form of cancer in young patients, lack of awareness, and late presentation are particularly distressing factors in India. A few steps can be taken to ensure timely diagnosis of cancer and thereby improve the patient’s prognosis.
  • Women should be encouraged to undergo mammograms. This is all the more important for women above 40 years of age.
  • Clinical Breast Exam should be performed by a doctor routinely
  • Campaigns should focus on educating women about the breast changes to look out for and report them to their physician.
  • Self Breast examination procedure should be made widely available to women in the highest risk group
  • Women with a family history of breast cancer should speak to their doctor about the risks and how to monitor any changes
  In case of an affirmative diagnosis, a team of doctors like the surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, and plastic surgeon would decide the best local and system treatment options. Early detection and diagnosis of several forms of breast cancer have significantly improved patient prognosis. We can change the course of how this disease affects women by simply improving their access to knowledge. Increasing awareness about the self-breast examination, the visible changes of the breast that could resemble breast cancer symptoms, and promoting campaigns that help women recognize the risk factors would help women seek their clinician’s advice before cancer advances thereby improving their chances of battling the condition better.